Plane turns nose up at Sydney airport

A cherry-picker was needed to rescue the 10 crew members

SYDNEY, Australia -- A Korean Air cargo plane has tipped on its tail while being unloaded at Sydney airport, trapping 10 crew members on board.

The incident happened shortly after the aircraft, a MD 11, flying from Seoul had landed and stopped at the airport's freight terminal on Wednesday.

A 'cherry-picker' crane was needed to rescue the crew from the front of the plane, who were stranded for an hour while the aircraft's nose still pointed skywards.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and normal airport operations were unaffected, officials said. No one was hurt in the incident.

Baggage handlers with Qantas Airways were responsible for unloading the plane, airport officials said.

"They were offloading cargo and obviously something has happened whereby the balance has shifted and basically seen the tail end up on the ground," Sydney Airports Corporation spokesman Bill Kemmery told Reuters news agency.

No details were immediately available concerning the extent of the damage.