An Asiana Airlines plane skidded off a runway on Tuesday after landing in western Japan, and about 20 people were injured slightly, officials said.

The Hiroshima airport reported that the aircraft's tail touched the runway while landing, causing some sparks, but there were no flames, the Mihara City fire department said.

The airport was closed after the accident, public broadcaster NHK said. It said the plane may have touched a structure at the airport before landing.

Officials said the Airbus 320 plane was carrying 74 passengers and eight crewmembers from Seoul, South Korea. Fire department official Kyoichi Utsumi said about 20 people received minor injuries mostly bruises and scratches and no one was hurt seriously. All were evacuated using escape chutes, and it was not immediately clear if they were injured during the landing or the evacuation.

TV video showed the escape chutes projecting from the aircraft, with several fire engines standing by as a precaution.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, and no other details were immediately available.

An Asiana Airlines flight crashed two years ago as it approached San Francisco's airport in an accident that killed three teenagers and injured nearly 200 others.