EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
A LATAM Airlines jet has killed two firefighters after it collided with a firetruck on the runway of Peru’s Jorge Chavez International Airport as it was taking off on Friday.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that there were 102 passengers and six crew members aboard the Airbus A320neo.
No passengers or flight crew members were killed in the incident, the airline said.
It remains unclear why the firetruck entered the runway while the plane was taking off and the prosecutors’ office said it was investigating the incident as potential manslaughter.
Video posted on social media showed the jet colliding with the firetruck as it careened down the runway, then rapidly catching fire and smoking heavily as it ground to a halt.
Lima Airport Partners, which operates Jorge Chavez in Lima, the nation’s most important airport, said the airport will remain closed at least through 1 p.m. local time on Saturday.
“Our teams are providing the necessary care to all passengers, who are in good condition,” the company said.
The flight was LA2213, covering the domestic Lima-Juliaca route, LATAM Airlines said.
This is the second incident in less than a month involving LATAM Airlines, after one of its planes had its nose destroyed during a severe storm that forced it to make an emergency landing.
Luis Ponce La Jara, general commander of the fire department, said two firefighters were killed and one was injured when the truck they were in was struck by the plane. Both the plane and the firetruck were in motion when they collided.
President Pedro Castillo expressed his condolences to the families of the firefighters in a tweet.
Flight LA2213 was taking off from Lima’s main airport en route to the Peruvian city of Juliaca.
Videos on social media showed smoke coming from a large plane on the runway.
According to the fire department, the incident was registered at 3:25 p.m. and four rescue units were mobilized.
The Prosecutor’s Office in Callao, where the airport is located, said an investigation into the cause of the accident had been opened.
Aviation authorities said operations at Jorge Chávez International Airport were suspended until 1 p.m. local time Saturday. Flights would be directed to other airports in the meantime.
Watch the video below:
Así fue momento en que ocurrió el choque del avión de #LATAM con un camión en el aeropuerto de #Lima, #Perú. pic.twitter.com/Fpx0zb6ZGE
— 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙮 (@Mario_Moray) November 18, 2022