Miami: At least five people were killed when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, local officials said.
Prime Air Flight 7598 left the usable section of the airport’s diagonal runway shortly before 2pm local time and struck several vehicles on the ground, according to officials.
Miami Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said five people were injured, including three who were in critical condition. At least two people were trapped inside vehicles struck by the aircraft, while the pilot and co pilot were trapped inside the plane.
Officials did not immediately identify those killed.
More than 60 rescue units and around 200 emergency personnel responded to the crash. Rescue operations continued into the afternoon, with emergency crews also dealing with an active fuel leak from the aircraft.
The airport temporarily halted all flights following the crash. Two of its four runways had reopened by Sunday evening.
The aircraft was a 32 year old Boeing 767 300 freighter operated by cargo airline 21 Air on behalf of Amazon. It had departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said the aircraft was travelling at about 112 knots, or 129 miles per hour, when it left the usable runway.
The United States (US) National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate the crash. The board is expected to provide an initial briefing in Miami on Monday.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company was working with local authorities to establish what happened, adding that the safety and wellbeing of those involved remained the company’s priority.
Boeing and 21 Air have also said they will support government investigations.
The crash comes after another fatal incident involving an Amazon Prime Air operated Boeing 767 in February 2019. Atlas Air Flight 3591, which was operating for Amazon, crashed into Trinity Bay, Texas, during a flight from Miami to Houston, killing all three people on board.
The latest investigation will determine what caused the aircraft to leave the runway and whether mechanical, operational, weather or other factors contributed to the accident.
