A passenger plane taking off from Lima International Airport, the capital of Peru, collided with a fire truck on the runway on November 18 local time and caught fire, killing two firefighters. Twenty people on board were injured, two of them seriously. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
According to the Associated Press, the passenger plane involved was the Airbus A320neo, flight number LA2213, which belongs to LATAM Airlines. The flight departs from Jorge Chávez International Airport and flies to the Peruvian city of Juliaca.
The aircraft involved was the Airbus A320neo
The tail was badly burned
The fire department said the accident occurred at 15:25 on the same day. Airport surveillance and witness video showed the flight hitting a fire truck that was rushing into the runway during a takeoff run.
The fire engine instantly turned into a ball of fire, while the plane continued to taxie on the runway, emitting flames and smoke. The tail of the aircraft was badly burned.
Screenshots of videos taken from multiple angles show the moment of collision
Mauro Ferreira, a Brazilian passenger waiting to board a flight back to Panama, filmed the accident. "Everyone in the lounge was worried until we saw the plane stop and then fire trucks and ambulances came." "It's sad because it's not known how many people are inside the plane and the flames are very high," he said. ”
The plane and the fire truck were both moving at high speed when they collided. Fire department chief Luis Ponce La Jara said the accident killed two firefighters and injured another.
The fire truck in the accident was badly damaged
The flight carried 102 passengers and 6 crew members. South American Airlines issued a statement saying no passengers or crew were killed. "As a precautionary measure, all passengers and crew were taken to the health centre. We are focused on supporting passengers and their families and are coordinating with authorities to support the investigation into the incident. ”
Peru's health ministry said 20 passengers were being treated in hospital, at least two of them in serious condition.
The passengers on the flight involved filmed the fireball on board
Passengers on board were evacuated and disembarked
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo took to social media Twitter to offer his condolences to the families of the firefighters. South American Airlines said it expressed its grief over the death of the firefighters and rescheduled flights for affected passengers at no additional cost. But it said it was unclear why fire trucks were on the runway.
"No emergency was reported on the flight involved. It was a flight in optimal takeoff conditions, it had takeoff authorization, but it met a fire truck on the runway and we didn't know what it was doing there," said Manuel van Ault, general manager of Air South America's Peruvian company, "and it was necessary to investigate and determine why it was there." ”
Schematic diagram of the collision accident
The Callao prosecutor's office, where the airport is located, said it had begun investigating the cause of the accident. The fire department dispatched four rescue teams.
Aviation authorities said that operations of Jorge Chavez International Airport were suspended until 13:00 local time on the 19th. At the same time, stranded flights will be transferred to other airports.
It was the second accident involving South American Airlines in less than a month. Earlier, a company plane carrying 48 passengers was destroyed in a strong storm and made an emergency landing in Asunción, Paraguay.
Nandu reporter Shi Minglei