At least three people possibly survived a fiery crash of a Boeing 737 plane in Cuba on Friday in which a number of the 114 passengers and crew were feared dead or injured, Reuters witnesses and officials said.
The aircraft on a domestic flight to Holguin had 105 passengers plus nine crew, Cuban state-run media reported, adding that there were five children on board. Earlier reports on state media said there were 104 passengers.
The fire from the crash had been put out and authorities were identifying bodies, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said. Earlier he had told Agence France Presse that “it appears there is a high number of victims.”
Wreckage was strewn over the area 20 km (12 miles) south of Havana and ambulances and firefighters were at the scene, a Reuters witness said. Blackened parts of the fuselage were visible.
“We heard an explosion and then saw a big cloud of smoke go up,” said Gilberto Menendez, who runs a restaurant near the crash site in the agricultural area of Boyeros.
Carlos Alberto Martinez, the director of Havana’s Calixto Garcia hospital, told Reuters four victims of the accident had been brought there. One had died and the other three were in a serious condition.
“She is alive but very burnt and swollen,” said a distressed relative of one of the survivors at the hospital.
The flight was destined for Holguin in eastern Cuba and was leased by airline Cubana from a small Mexican airline called Damojh or Global, Cuban state media said. Holguin has some of the island’s most pristine beaches, and attracts tourists.
Cubana declined to comment. A Damojh representative in Mexico said “we are gathering what we can to give correct information.”
The nationality of those on board was not immediately clear. State media said that the crew were foreign, but provided no further details.
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21:52
A Boeing 737 plane crashed on Friday shortly after taking off from Havana’s main airport, Cuban state-run website Cubadebate reported, adding that it was not yet known if there were any casualties, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The plane was a domestic flight going to Holguin, carrying 104 passengers, state-run TV said.
Images on TV and social media showed a large plume of black smoke above the airport.
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21:18
According to a number of reports, a Boeing 737 crashed shortly after a takeoff from José Marti International Airport in Cuba, APA reports quoting sputniknews.
The aircraft reportedly belonged to Cubana de Aviación national airline.
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