A South Korea-bound passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday after suffering engine failure after takeoff, officials said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 landed without incident at around 3.20 p.m. There were no injuries amongst the 179 passengers and crew.

The cause of the engine failure was not known and an investigation into the incident will be held, FAA spokesman Mike Fergus told AFP.

Eye-witnesses told local media they had seen flames shooting out of the plane before its landing although Fergus could not confirm the reports.