Photo credit: Reuters
At least five people have died after an Amazon Air cargo plane, flying from Puerto Rico to Miami, veered off the runway and caught fire.
“We can confirm that at least five people have died,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin-Coffey at a press conference. She added that several injured people had been taken to local hospitals.
Raed Jadallah, head of the Miami Fire Department, later clarified that five people had also been injured, three of whom were in a critical condition.
The aircraft, owned by 21 Air, veered off the runway during landing and crashed into a car in a car park at a large logistics complex used, amongst others, by Amazon.
A fire broke out at the scene following the crash. According to reports, some of the injured were unable to get out of their cars.
The Boeing 767–300 was operating flight 7598 from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico.
“We can confirm that an incident involving an Amazon Air aircraft, operated by 21 Air, occurred today whilst attempting to land at Miami International Airport,” said Kelly Nantel, head of Amazon’s media relations division.
“The situation is developing rapidly and we are still gathering information. We are working closely with local authorities and the relevant emergency services to establish exactly what happened,” she added.
Photo credit: Reuters
Photo credit: Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The 767–33AER, with registration number N1997A, was manufactured in 1994.
It was initially transferred to the Belgian airline Sobelair, and in 2016 it was converted into a cargo aircraft.
The aircraft was due to land on the 2,853-metre runway at Miami Airport. The airport has a total of four runways.
According to Flightradar24, the aircraft was travelling at a speed of 112 knots – approximately 207 km/h – when it veered off the runway.
Following the accident, the airport was temporarily closed. As a result, many flights were delayed or cancelled. The airport subsequently resumed operations, but warned passengers of possible delays.
“Two of our four runways are currently open, but the aftermath of this incident is still affecting airport operations. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport,” reads a statement on the airport’s website.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that it is investigating the accident and has already dispatched its experts to the scene.
Miami International Airport, which opened almost 100 years ago in 1928, is one of the largest aviation hubs in the US and the world, not only in terms of passenger traffic but also in terms of cargo volume.
Miami is one of the key aviation hubs for passengers travelling to Latin America and the Caribbean.