At least five people have died after an Amazon cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport, crashed into several vehicles and caught fire shortly after landing on Sunday, officials said.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said three of the injured victims were taken to trauma centres “in critical condition”, while two others received treatment at a local hospital.
“The airplane did strike a couple of vehicles,” which left “a couple of victims that were actually trapped in the vehicles,” Jadallah said.
He added that rescuers carried out “A complex extrication with our technical rescue team”, alongside “including a search and rescue of the pilot and co-pilot that were trapped in this aircraft.”
Jadallah did not say whether the pilot or co-pilot survived, while officials declined to take further questions after providing brief updates.
The Boeing 767, operating as Prime Air Flight 7598, arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, at about 1:58 pm (1758 GMT) before overrunning the runway.
Footage from the scene showed thick smoke rising from the blue-and-white aircraft as emergency crews rushed to the airport.
Fire officials said the aircraft caught fire following the “crash”.
Jadallah said a large emergency response was deployed to deal with the incident.
“A total of 60 fire apparatuses arrived, just short, just shy of 200 men and women from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, to begin the actual search and rescue and firefighting,” he said.
He said the investigation would determine what caused the accident.
“The actual cause of the incident will be determined by the FAA and the NTSB,” he added, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Fire officials later said foam was used to put out a fire in the aircraft’s engine compartment.
“One person was trapped under one of the involved vehicles and had to be extricated by specialized technical rescue personnel. Specialized hazardous materials (HazMat) units safely shut down the aircraft’s engine and worked to control a fuel leak,” the statement said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the B-767-300 cargo aircraft was travelling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami when the runway accident occurred.
The agency said it had “launched a go team to investigate Sunday’s runway excursion accident.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company would cooperate fully with the investigation.
“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.
Miami Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz described the aftermath as a “really tragic scene” but said there was “no apparent threat to public safety.”
Following the crash, Miami International Airport temporarily closed all runways and taxiways.
Airport officials advised passengers to contact their airlines directly before travelling to the airport because of delays and cancellations caused by the incident.
After several hours of holding flights, the Miami Herald reported that two of the airport’s four runways had reopened later on Sunday.
Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava praised emergency responders for their swift intervention.
In a statement on X, she said “our fire rescue team was there within seconds of the crash, so we’re deeply grateful.”
The FAA and NTSB are expected to determine the circumstances surrounding the runway excursion and the subsequent collision with vehicles.
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