A Boeing 767-300 cargo plane from the company 21 Air, operated for Amazon, caught fire this Sunday after leaving the runway of Miami International Airport during landing maneuvers, causing at least five deaths and another five injuries.
"We know that five people have lost their lives and another five have been injured," said the mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, in a statement to the media, in which she emphasized that her "heart" is with "all the affected families and those who are mourning tonight."
Among the injured, three have been evacuated in critical condition to a hospital, according to the Miami-Dade Fire Chief, Ray Jadallah, who described the scene as "very complex."
In his explanation, Jadallah indicated that the aircraft struck "a couple of vehicles," which caused "several people" to be trapped in them and forced the deployment of a "complex rescue operation."
"In addition to that, we encountered a very complex situation in the engine compartments, which were on fire, including the search and rescue of the pilot and co-pilot, who had been trapped in the aircraft," added the head of the fire extinguishing service.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA), flight 7598 went off the runway around 2:00 PM (8:00 PM in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands), after taking off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"The FAA will investigate. Contact the airline for more information," the agency pointed out in a message disseminated on social media, prior to the official statement.
The incident, which has forced the interruption of activity at the airport, occurred at the height of Northwest 67th Avenue and has prompted the deployment of about 60 fire vehicles and nearly 200 personnel to control and extinguish the fire.