Frontier jet hits and kills pedestrian on runway in Denver during takeoff, airport says

A Frontier ​Airlines passenger jet struck and killed a pedestrian on a ‌runway at Denver International Airport during a planned takeoff for Los Angeles late on Friday, the airport said in a statement.

The Frontier flight reported ​striking an individual during takeoff and abandoned its departure. ​The pedestrian, who has not been identified, had ⁠jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes ​later while crossing the runway, the airport said.

The individual is ​not believed to be an employee of the airport, the statement said.

The incident caused a brief engine fire with smoke in the cabin ​on the Airbus A321 flight which was carrying 224 ​passengers and seven crew members, all of whom were evacuated safely.

Twelve people ‌reported ⁠minor injuries and five were transported to local hospitals, the airport said.

Frontier said it was investigating the incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other ​safety authorities.

The ​airport closed the ⁠runway the incident occurred on and expects to reopen it in a few hours, it ​said, adding that it had also examined the ​fence ⁠line crossed by the individual and found it to be intact.

US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said local law enforcement is investigating the ⁠incident ​with support from the U.S. Federal ​Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration.