Five killed after Amazon cargo aircraft veers off Miami runway and bursts into flames
Fire crews were dealing with a fuel leak on the plane several hours after the incident – videos on social media showed thick, black smoke rising from the aircraft
An Amazon cargo plane is seen after it crashed at Miami International Airport(Image: Getty Images)
At least five people have died and many more are injured after an Amazon cargo plane veered off a runway at Miami International Airport.
The aircraft struck vehicles and burst into flames around 2pm on Sunday, September 6 after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Miami-Dade County officials said three other people were critically injured and two others hospitalised with less severe injuries.
The plane reportedly crashed into vehicles(Image: @sentdefender/X)
Some people were trapped inside vehicles, Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said.
The pilot and co-pilot were also trapped in the aircraft and fire crews were dealing with a fuel leak on the plane several hours after the incident.
Videos circulating online captured black smoke billowing from the aircraft.
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the crash.
They arrived to find the aircraft in flames as crews worked to extinguish the blaze and assess patients.
The tail of the Amazon cargo plane seen at Miami International after it overran the runway(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Prime Air plane stopped beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, according to images from the scene.
The aircraft, which was largely in tact despite the blaze, appeared to be resting on its belly.
“We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel.
“Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, wellbeing, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.”
The aircraft was largely in tact despite the blaze(Image: Getty Images)
The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina.
The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines before it was converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
About 250 flights were delayed at the airport late afternoon Sunday.
