Passenger airliner collides with fire truck, catches fire

RT.com
19 Nov 2022, 21:31 GMT+10

The incident with the LATAM jet happened during takeoff in Peru's capital of Lima, causing the death of two firefighters

A LATAM Airlines plane burst into flames after crashing into a fire engine during takeoff in Peru's capital of Lima on Friday. The carrier confirmed that two firefighters perished in the incident, while 40 passengers on the jet were hospitalized.

According to medical services cited by the media, four of them were in serious condition.

The Airbus A320neo bound for the city of Juliaca in southeastern Peru was carrying 102 passengers at the time of the incident at Jorge Chavez International Airport.

Footage posted on social media depicts the moment of the collision and the fire that broke out in the immediate aftermath.

One of the eyewitnesses described to the media a "harrowing feeling" as he watched the jet being devoured by the blaze, adding that the "flames were very tall."

Authorities are currently investigating how the fire truck ended up on the runway during the plane's takeoff. The prosecutor's office said the case could be classified as manslaughter.

LATAM Airlines' Peru branch pledged to cooperate with the investigators and provide all the necessary assistance to those affected.

The incident led to the entire airport being closed, with the administration stating that it expected operations to be resumed no sooner than 1pm on Saturday (1800 GMT).

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