Fear at Miami Airport. An Amazon cargo plane skidded off the runway during landing and collided with vehicles in the area, killing five and injuring five others, three of whom are in critical condition.
The airport was closed immediately after the accident to allow firefighters to extinguish the flames that broke out following the collision and help the victims. Several people were trapped in vehicles struck by the plane , forcing rescuers to conduct a complex extrication operation.
Investigations are ongoing to determine what happened. Authorities will be able to rely on the black boxes and witnesses to shed light on the matter.
The plane, an Amazon Boeing 767-300, arrived from Puerto Rico. The aircraft still bears the Prime Air logo, which was the name of Amazon's cargo carrier until 2017. The name was later changed to Amazon Air to distinguish it from its drone delivery operations, which now use "Prime Air." The retail giant confirmed that the plane belongs to its fleet.
"We are gathering information and working closely with local authorities to understand what happened. Our priority right now is the safety and well-being of everyone involved," Amazon assured.
The incident is reminiscent of an August 1997 Miami crash , when a Fine Air cargo flight crashed on takeoff and ended up on a busy highway, killing five people. The temporary closure of Miami Airport comes on one of the busiest weekends of the year, with Labor Day on Monday officially marking the end of summer.
(Unioneonline)
