A United Airlines flight from Shanghai were evacuated on the runway of the O'Hare International Airport of Chicago, Illinois, Friday, after smoke was detected in the cabin.

The UA Flight 836, with 258 passengers and 15 crew members on board, was evacuated after the pilot reported an emergency in the cabin, the US television broadcast company CBS News reported.

The pilot reported the emergency at 3:45 PM (2145 GMT) and the plane landed at 4 PM (2200 GMT).

The passengers slid down the emergency chutes and were taken by bus to the terminal.

One passenger complained of back pain and was transported to hospital, said Chicago city aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham.

The captain of plane decided to order an emergency evacuation because smoke had been reported in the passenger cabin a few minutes before the aircraft landed, said UA spokeswoman Megan McCarthy.

The runway on which the plane landed was closed for 24 minutes, but there was no significant impact to airport operations.

The Chicago Fire Department was called to the scene because of the smoke reports, but the cause of the smoke is not known yet.

The airline said they will conduct a complete investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2007)