A RUNWAY at Pudong International Airport was forced to close temporarily yesterday morning after the tire of a Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737 burst.

The tire on the left landing gear gave way when flight MH388 was taxing for takeoff to Kuala Lumpur at 1:30am. The takeoff was aborted and all the passengers were evacuated. No one was injured.

Firefighters sprayed foam as a precaution against a blaze, according to photos posted by witnesses on the Internet. The flight was canceled.

The operation of the airport was not affected.

A preliminary investigation found the tire failure may have been caused by a malfunction of the airplane anti-skid braking system.

A full investigation will be launched, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority.