By Dwayne Ferreira.
Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport kills five and injures five after a Boeing 767 overruns the runway.
MIAMI – At least five people have been killed and five others injured after an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo aircraft overran a runway at Miami International Airport, struck several vehicles and burst into flames.
The aircraft, identified by the US Federal Aviation Administration as Prime Air Flight 7598, was arriving from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the accident occurred at around 1:58 p.m. local time on Sunday.
The Boeing 767-300 was being operated for Amazon by contract cargo carrier 21 Air. It ran beyond the runway before coming to rest in an area adjacent to the airport, authorities said.
Video and photographs from the scene showed the damaged aircraft beyond the runway perimeter, with thick black smoke rising above the airport.
Miami-Dade County officials confirmed that five people died in the incident. Five others were injured, including three who were reported to be in critical condition.
Emergency crews rush to crash site
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units were deployed following the crash as firefighters tackled the blaze and dealt with a fuel leak from the aircraft.
The accident also affected vehicles near the runway after the aircraft overshot the airport boundary.
Airport authorities temporarily closed all runways and taxiways while emergency crews secured the area, triggering widespread flight delays and cancellations at one of the busiest airports in the United States. Around 250 flights were reportedly affected.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned passengers to expect significant delays while first responders and investigators worked at the scene.
Amazon said it was working with authorities to determine what happened and that supporting those affected remained its immediate priority.
FAA and NTSB launch investigation
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft, crew actions, weather conditions, runway environment and flight data as they seek to establish why the Boeing 767 failed to stop safely after landing.
No official cause has yet been announced.
