An Amazon cargo plane has skidded off the runway while landing at Miami International Airport in the US, colliding with several vehicles and bursting into flames. At least five people have died and five others have been injured, three of them in critical condition.
The plane, a Boeing 767-300 operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon Prime Air, was flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. According to authorities, it skidded off the runway at around 2 p.m. local time, crossed a road near the airport and collided with several vehicles before coming to rest in an area off the runway.
The collision caused a massive fire and a large cloud of black smoke that was seen in the area around the airport. Emergency crews immediately arrived at the scene, while several people were trapped inside the hit vehicles. The pilot and co-pilot were also trapped in the cockpit and had to be rescued by rescue teams.
More than 60 fire service units and around 200 personnel were involved in the operation to extinguish the flames and extract trapped people. Authorities also reported a fuel leak, making the intervention particularly complicated.
Miami Airport temporarily imposed a complete halt to air operations, causing hundreds of flight delays and cancellations. Operations gradually resumed after emergency crews intervened.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Investigators are expected to analyze weather conditions, landing conditions and other factors that may have caused the plane to skid off the runway.
Amazon has expressed condolences for the victims and stated that it is cooperating with US authorities in investigating the accident.
