Five people are dead and five others are injured after an Amazon-branded cargo plane crashed just outside Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
The Boeing 767-300 aircraft overran the runway just before 2 p.m. ET while it was landing, according to officials. The plane, 21 Air Flight 7598, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane overran Runway 30, struck multiple vehicles and came to rest at a field next to the airport, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said.
Three people were in critical condition and were taken to a trauma center, and two others were taken to a local hospital, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Raied Jadallah said.
A hotline has been set up for relatives of people who may have been involved in the accident. The scene remains active.
Video showed plumes of smoke billowing from the wreckage. The plane, Jadallah said, struck “a couple of vehicles.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the flight was operated by 21 Air and was coming in to land when the incident occurred.
“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss,” Nantel said.
21 Air CEO Keith Winters said the crash has left the company “devastated” and that it is cooperating with federal investigators.
“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” he said in a statement. “Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.”
All runways and taxiways at the airport were closed following a ground stop, an airport spokesperson said in a statement. After 5 p.m. ET, two of the four runways had reopened, the spokesperson said, and the airport was under a ground delay.
The delay was expected to continue through early Monday, according to Federal Aviation Administration airspace notices.
Fire and rescue personnel responded “within seconds,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units went to the scene, where firefighters worked to extinguish a “very complex fire” that involved blazing engine compartments, Jadallah said.
A search-and-rescue operation was launched to retrieve the pilot and the co-pilot, who were trapped in the plane, and a technical rescue team conducted a “complex extrication” for people who were stuck inside the vehicles the plane hit, he said.
First responders were also addressing an active fuel leak at the crash site, Jadallah said Sunday evening.
Boeing described the aircraft as a 767-300 model delivered as a passenger jet in 1994 and later converted by a third party for use as a cargo plane.
“Boeing extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the accident in Miami,” the aircraft manufacturer said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to those injured and affected by this tragedy.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said it has launched a team to investigate. Boeing said it was supporting the probe.
The FAA and the NTSB will determine the cause of the crash.
