Investigators are trying to determine why a cargo plane operating for Amazon ran off the runway after landing at Miami International Airport, leading to a fatal crash on Sunday.
Five people were killed and five more seriously injured when the plane, operated by 21 Air, crashed shortly before 2:00 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT). None of the victims have yet been identified.
The Boeing 767-300 ran off the runway, crossed a road, and struck several vehicles on the ground. It remains unclear whether the victims were on the plane, on the ground, or both.
21 Air, a charter company based in North Carolina, said it was “shocked by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami.” Both 21 Air and Amazon said they are cooperating with the investigation.
“At least five people are dead, and five more are injured,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference Sunday evening, adding that emergency crews arrived at the scene within seconds of the crash.
Miami Fire Chief Rayed Jadallah said three of the five injured are in critical condition. He added that some of the injured were trapped inside or under vehicles on the ground and had to be extracted by fire rescue crews. More than 200 firefighters responded after the plane burst into flames.
Officials say it is too early to determine the cause of the crash, which is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The federal agency, which investigates all U.S. aviation accidents, plans to hold its own press conference on Monday.
Experts who spoke to the Associated Press said footage of the landing will raise questions for investigators about whether the plane touched down within its designated landing zone — and if so, what happened afterward.
All flights at the airport were temporarily halted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The crash occurred over the Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
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