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A Continental Airlines jet made an emergency landing at a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) base on Iwojima Island Sunday morning after its two engines developed trouble, MSDF officials said.

The officials said this was probably the first time that a civilian airliner had made a forced landing on Iwojima, more than 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo.

The pilots on Continental Flight 931 bound for Sendai, with 96 passengers and crewmembers aboard, found a warning lamp indicating its engines had developed trouble about an hour after it took off from Guam at around 7:50 a.m. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, made an emergency landing at Iwojima Air Base in the village of Ogasawara. Passengers returned to Guam on a special flight provided by Continental Airlines and are expected to fly to Sendai Monday, airline officials said.
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