The authorities have not yet revealed the identities of the five people who died and the five who were injured in the accident of a cargo plane operated for Amazon Air at the Miami International Airport, as investigations continue to clarify the tragedy that occurred this Sunday.
Among the survivors, three remained in critical condition and another two had less serious injuries, according to the report provided by the authorities.
At the moment, it has not been publicly clarified how many of the fatalities were in the vehicles struck by the aircraft, nor the individual status of the two pilots.
The incident occurred when a Boeing 767-300 cargo plane operated by 21 Air for Amazon Air overshot runway 30 during landing, crossed the airport perimeter, and collided with several vehicles before catching fire.
Five dead and five injured: what is known
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue recorded a total of ten victims: five deceased and five others injured.
Of the five survivors transferred to medical centers, three were in critical condition, while the other two had less severe injuries.
So far, authorities have not publicly identified the deceased or the injured.
It has not been publicly clarified whether the five deceased victims were traveling in the vehicles struck by the plane or if any were on board the aircraft.
The head of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Ray Jadallah, explained that the impact left people trapped in vehicles. Emergency crews also had to rescue a person who was trapped underneath one of the cars.
The pilot and co-pilot, for their part, were trapped in the cockpit of the Boeing 767 following the accident. Authorities had not provided detailed information about their individual conditions.
A scene of destruction
The images of the scene showed wrecked cars, some overturned, after the plane left the runway and crossed a road next to the airport.
A large white pickup truck appeared crushed behind the fuselage of the aircraft, while other vehicles were damaged among the remains of the perimeter fence and debris.
More than 60 units and approximately 200 personnel responded to the emergency and found the aircraft engulfed in flames and a thick column of smoke.
Firefighters battled a blaze in the engine area and worked to contain a fuel leak, according to the details of the firefighting operation in Miami.
The testimony of a witness
A truck driver who worked near the airport exclusively shared with Telemundo 51 the initial moments of the accident.
"Since we work next to the airport, one is always used to seeing the planes flying at a low altitude. Apparently, this one went beyond that, and as soon as you noticed it, you heard the explosion, the tremor, the smoke, the fire," he described.
When reflecting on what happened, he confessed: “It's something difficult because it leaves you with the thought that it could be us at any moment.”
The plane was coming from Puerto Rico
The flight 7598, operated by 21 Air for Amazon, was coming from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and experienced the accident around 2:00 p.m. while landing in Miami.
The aircraft was a Boeing 767-300 freighter that was 32 years old. The plane was originally built to transport passengers and was later converted into a cargo aircraft.
After surpassing the runway, the aircraft crossed a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses located around the airport, collided with several vehicles, and caught fire.
Amazon expressed its condolences for the victims and stated that it is working with the authorities to clarify what happened and to support those affected.
After the accident, there was a complete halt of ground operations and all four runways at the airport remained closed for several hours. Subsequently, two of them were able to reopen, according to the casualty report confirmed by the authorities.
The NTSB is investigating the causes of the accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a team to Miami led by its chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, to investigate the causes of the accident.
The investigators will need to determine why the plane was unable to stop on the runway and will examine the circumstances of the landing, the weather conditions, the aircraft's operation, and other factors that may help reconstruct what happened.
For now, the authorities have not publicly determined the cause of the accident.
21 Air stated it was "devastated" by the incident and expressed its condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. Both the cargo airline and Amazon indicated they would cooperate with the federal investigation.
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