A woman who was in a vehicle near Miami International Airport described with horror the moment when an Amazon cargo plane went off the runway and caught fire on Sunday, in an accident that left five people dead and another five injured.
"It was extremely strong. I've never heard anything like it. It felt like a jolt. Honestly, I can't compare it to anything else," reported Grace Mercado to NBC 6 Miami.
Mercado was traveling with his partner when they heard a sudden loud noise. "We heard a sound," he recounted. "And he said, 'Oh my God. Is that a plane crash?'" When he looked up from his phone, he saw how the aircraft had left the runway, crossed a road in Miami-Dade County, and come to a stop after colliding with several vehicles.
"The plane was engulfed in smoke," described the witness. "It was like something out of a movie. It was madness."
The incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday when flight 7598 from 21 Air, operated for Amazon Prime Air on a Boeing 767-300 freighter, was attempting to land from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
According to preliminary data collected, the aircraft exceeded the diagonal runway of the airport at approximately 112 knots before veering off, crossing the public road, and catching fire.
Mercado recalled that, in the initial moments, there were no signs of emergency services. However, the situation changed rapidly: "There were no ambulances or anything. But they arrived in less than a minute. It was absolutely incredible."
The Miami-Dade Fire Department mobilized more than 60 units and approximately 200 personnel, with the first units arriving at the scene within seconds. In a statement, the department expressed, "We are deeply affected by the loss of life and keep in our thoughts and prayers all those who were injured."
Among the five hospitalized injured were the two pilots of the aircraft, three of whom were in critical condition. The identities of the deceased victims had not been publicly disclosed until this Monday.
The mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava, confirmed the victim count at a press conference, while the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, announced a complete suspension of ground operations at the airport and warned of delays and flight cancellations. Later, two of the four runways at the airport were reopened.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are working to determine the causes of the accident. Preliminary lines of investigation suggest that runway conditions, possible heavy rain, and factors related to performance during landing may have played a role, although no official cause has been determined yet.
For Mercado, the scene will remain difficult to digest: "It's something you don't see in real life. That's why it's surreal."
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