Five Dead as Amazon Cargo Plane Overruns Runway at Miami Airport
A fatal accident has struck an Amazon cargo aircraft at Miami International Airport on Sunday local time. The plane, which overran the runway upon landing, struck several vehicles and triggered a fierce blaze. The tragic incident claimed the lives of at least five people.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Ray Jadallah confirmed that, in addition to the five fatalities, three people were taken to a trauma centre in critical condition. Two other victims are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Jadallah explained that the aircraft had struck several vehicles on the runway area, leaving a number of people trapped inside. Rescue teams had to carry out a complicated evacuation at the scene.
“The aircraft struck several vehicles,” which caused “several victims to become completely trapped inside the vehicles,” Jadallah said.
He added that a “complicated extraction process with our technical rescue teams” was required, “including the search and rescue of the pilot and co-pilot trapped inside the aircraft.” However, Jadallah did not elaborate on the condition of the pilot or co-pilot.
Video footage from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing from the blue-and-white Boeing 767. The aircraft, operating as Prime Air Flight 7598, had landed from Puerto Rico at 1.58pm local time before catching fire as a result of the collision.
To extinguish the flames and rescue the victims, some 60 fire engines and around 200 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel were deployed to the scene. Officers sprayed special foam to extinguish the fire in the engine compartment, dealt with fuel leaks, and safely shut down the aircraft’s engines.
The United States aviation authorities, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have now dispatched teams to investigate the exact cause of the runway overrun involving the B-767-300 cargo plane on the San Juan-Miami route.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel expressed deep sorrow and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to fully cooperate with the investigation process.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones and all those affected by this devastating loss,” Nantel said.
The impact of the accident briefly forced the suspension of all flight activity at Miami International Airport, causing widespread delays and cancellations. However, two of the airport’s four runways were reported to have reopened on Sunday night. (AFP/Z-2)