Five de@d as Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami International Airport

At least five people have been killed and five others injured after an Amazon Air cargo plane overshot a runway while attempting to land at Miami International Airport, U.S.

The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft crashed shortly before 2 p.m. local time on Sunday after arriving from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft overshot the runway and struck several vehicles on the ground before catching fire.

“At least five people have lost their lives, and five others are injured,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a news conference on Sunday evening. She said emergency crews reached the crash site within “seconds” of the incident. “Right now, our focus is on the families, those who were injured, and the ongoing response,” Levine Cava said.

Miami Fire Chief Raied Jadallah said three of the five injured people were in critical condition. All five were taken to hospital, with the mayor initially describing the extent of their injuries as unknown. Several of those injured were trapped inside or underneath vehicles struck during the crash and had to be extricated by fire and rescue crews, Jadallah said.

More than 200 firefighters responded to the scene, where crews encountered heavy flames and smoke. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said its personnel “arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing”.

The fire was subsequently extinguished, although Jadallah said a fuel leak remained at the crash site. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flights grounded as emergency crews responded, leading to cancellations and delays during the Labor Day holiday weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the United States.

The aircraft was operating an Amazon cargo flight for 21 Air, a charter airline based in North Carolina. Miami International Airport said the plane “overran Miami International Airport’s diagonal runway and is disabled at the northwest end of the airport.”

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the incident and plans to hold a news conference on Monday, September 7. Amazon said it was working with authorities to establish what happened and expressed condolences to those affected.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” Amazon Director of Corporate Global Media Relations Kelly Nantel said. “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.” 21 Air had not responded to a request for comment at the time of the original report.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft was travelling at 112 knots, or about 129 mph, as it exited the usable portion of the runway. The tracking service said the aircraft eventually came to rest near a parking lot serving an Amazon warehouse and other businesses. It also reported light thunderstorms and gusting winds in Miami around the time of the crash.

Officials had not determined whether weather conditions or any other factor contributed to the accident. The crash caused significant disruption at Miami International Airport, with passengers reporting cancellations, delays and long queues at airline counters as travellers attempted to rearrange their journeys.

The disruption came during the Labor Day travel period, when the Transportation Security Administration projected that about 17 million travellers would pass through US airports in the week leading up to the holiday, including an estimated 2.3 million passengers on Sunday, September 6.

Miami International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States and a major hub for international passenger and cargo traffic, particularly between the US, Latin America and the Caribbean.