Five dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport
Five people are dead and five seriously injured after a Boeing 767-300 cargo plane "overran" the runway and caught fire, officials say.
Five dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport
An Amazon Air cargo plane ran off the runway while trying to land at Miami International Airport, killing five people and seriously injuring five others.
The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft crashed just before 14:00 local time (19:00 GMT) after taking off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight also struck several vehicles on the ground.
Amazon said it is "working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened".
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered all flights grounded as fire crews rushed to the smoking crash site. The crash happened over Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
"At least five people have lost their lives, and five others are injured," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference on Sunday evening.
She said rescue crews reached the scene within "seconds" of the crash.
"Right now, our focus is on the families, those who were injured, and the ongoing response," she added.
Miami Fire Chief Raied Jadallah said three of the five injured are in critical condition. The mayor said they were all taken to hospital with "unknown injuries".
Jadallah said several of the injured were trapped inside or beneath vehicles on the ground and had to be freed by fire and rescue crews.
Officials say it is too soon to determine the cause of the crash, and that the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The federal agency, which investigates all air crashes in the US, plans to hold a news conference on Monday.
The Amazon flight, operated by 21 Air, a charter company based in North Carolina, "overran Miami International Airport's diagonal runway and is disabled at the northwest end of the airport," the airport said in a statement.
Miami Dade Fire Rescue said crews "arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing".
More than 200 firefighters responded to the crash. The flames were put out, but there is still a fuel leak at the site, Jadallah said.
Amazon released a statement saying it is working closely with authorities and extending condolences to the victims.
"We're heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today's incident at Miami International Airport," said Kelly Nantel, Amazon's Director of Corporate Global Media Relations.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.
"The airplane, which was operated by 21 Air, was attempting to land when this incident occurred. We're working closely with local authorities and officials to learn more and will cooperate fully with any investigation."
Flight data from tracking site FlightRadar24 shows the Amazon cargo flight was travelling at 112 knots (129mph, 207km/h) as it left the "useable runway".
In a blog post, the site says the plane came to rest near a parking lot that serves an Amazon warehouse and other businesses.
The site says there were light thunderstorms and gusting winds in Miami at the time of the incident.
The crash happened during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year in the US.
The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) predicted 17 million travellers at US airports in the week leading up to Monday's Labor Day holiday.
The TSA, which screens passengers flying in the US, predicted that 2.3 million people would fly on Sunday alone.
Miami International Airport (MIA) is near downtown Miami and is one of the busiest airports in the country.
"Founded in 1928, MIA is America's busiest airport for international freight and second busiest for international passengers, offers more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other US airport," according to their website.
It says about 60% of all international visitors to Florida arrive at this airport.