At least 5 dead after Amazon cargo plane barreled off runway at Miami airport

Amazon cargo plane veered off runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, resulting in at least five fatalities and multiple injuries, authorities revealed. The aircraft ran over the runway around 2 p.m., having arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico. At least three individuals suffered critical injuries, while two others sustained less severe wounds, Miami-Dade County officials disclosed during a press conference.

Three people were trapped inside vehicles following the crash, with the pilot and co-pilot also immobilized within the plane. Fire crews continued to grapple with a fuel leak on the plane several hours post-incident, according to Jadallah, Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief. Over 60 units from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene, arriving to find the aircraft ablaze while crews tended to the injured.

The Prime Air plane came to rest adjacent to a roadway near two semi-trucks, as images from the scene depicted. The Boeing 767, originally designed for passenger transport, had been repurposed into a cargo vessel in 2015 and operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. Approximately 250 flights were postponed at the airport later in the day, FlightAware reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board pledged to dispatch a team to Miami, led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, to probe the incident. "We are working closely with local authorities and officials to fully comprehend the circumstances," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel conveyed via social media. "For the time being, our top priority is the safety, well-being, and care of all those affected."