Five dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport
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By Max Matza
An Amazon Air cargo plane overshot the runway while attempting to land at Miami International Airport, killing five people and seriously injuring five more.
The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft crashed just before 14:00 local time (19:00 GMT) after departing from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight also hit several vehicles on the ground.
Amazon said it is "working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened". All flights were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as fire crews raced to the smoking crash site.
"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 added that rescue crews arrived within seconds of the crash.
Three of the five injured are in critical condition, said Miami Fire Chief Raied Jadallah. The mayor stated they were all taken to hospital with "unknown injuries". Several of the injured were trapped inside or under vehicles on the ground and needed to be extricated by fire and rescue crews.
Officials say it's too early to know the cause of the crash, and that it will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. The federal agency 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 reported crews arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing. Over 200 firefighters responded to the crash. The flames were extinguished, but there is still a fuel leak at the site, said Jadallah.
Amazon issued a statement expressing its condolences to the victims:
"We're heartbroken 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."
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."
The BBC has reached out to 21 Air about the incident but has not received a response.
Flight data from tracking site FlightRadar24 shows that the Amazon cargo flight was travelling at 112 knots (129mph, 207km/h) as it exited the "useable runway". The plane came to rest near a parking lot that services an Amazon warehouse and other businesses. There were light thunderstorms and gusty winds in the area at the time of the crash.