CARACAS - A commercial plane with 140 passengers aboard crashed early Saturday while landing in Guyana in rainy weather, causing several injuries but no deaths, the Guyanese president said.

The Caribbean Airlines aircraft apparently overshot the 7,400-foot (2,200-meter) runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport near the capital of Georgetown, President Bharrat Jagdeo said, according to reports from Guyana.

The plane, which had broken into two pieces upon landing, barely missed a 200-foot (60-meter) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of fatalities, Jagdeo said.

"We are very, very grateful that more people were not injured," Jagdeo said.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene of the crash as authorities closed the airport, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and delaying dozens of flights.

Jagdeo said he has asked the US National Transportation Safety Board to help investigate the crash. He said crews were pushing to reopen the airport as soon as possible.

The crash is the worst in recent history in Guyana, and only one of the few serious incidents involving the Trinidad-based airline. It is the single largest carrier in the region, operating at least five daily flights.