Five Dead After Amazon Cargo Plane Overruns Miami Runway
Five people have been killed and five others injured after an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport in Florida, USA on Sunday, struck several vehicles and caught fire.
The Boeing 767-300 was operating as Prime Air Flight 7598 for Amazon and was operated by cargo carrier 21 Air. It had departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before the crash at about 2 p.m. local time.
The aircraft overran Runway 30 and crossed a nearby road, where it struck multiple vehicles before coming to rest near the airport’s northwest end. Flight-tracking data showed it was travelling at about 112 knots (129 mph) as it left the usable runway area.
Emergency crews responded with more than 60 units and about 200 personnel. The pilot and co-pilot were trapped in the cockpit and rescuers also freed people trapped in vehicles. Three of the five injured people were critically hurt.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of those killed or confirmed whether all of the fatalities were people on the ground or aboard the aircraft.
The crash temporarily shut down Miami International Airport, with more than 160 flights cancelled and hundreds delayed. Airport operations later resumed on some runways.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash, while the Federal Aviation Administration is also conducting an investigation. Weather conditions, including thunderstorms and strong winds, were present in the area, but investigators have not determined whether they contributed to the accident.
Amazon and 21 Air have expressed condolences to those affected and said they are cooperating with investigators.
