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An engine defect in the Airbus A350 plane that led to the cancellation of dozens of Cathay Pacific flights this month could have escalated into "extensive damage", according to the results of a Hong Kong probe released Thursday.

Hong Kong-based Cathay briefly grounded its fleet of A350s for inspections and repairs after a Zurich-bound plane was forced to turn around and head back to the Chinese city on September 2.

The inspections found that components on 15 of the 48 planes in the fleet of A350s, powered by engines from the British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, had to be replaced.

In Thursday's report, the Hong Kong investigators said a post-flight examination of the Zurich-bound plane found that a fuel hose had ruptured, as evidenced by a "discernible hole", burn marks and "black soot observed on the aft section of the core engine".

The fuel could have leaked through the ruptured hose and resulted in a fire that would have spread to surrounding areas, said the report released by the Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA).

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