Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport, killing five and injuring five

Five people died after an Amazon cargo plane raced off the runway at Miami International Airport, crashed into several vehicles and erupted in flames, local authorities said.

The aircraft arrived from San Juan at about 2 p.m. on Sept. 6 before leaving the runway and speeding toward a road near the airport. It struck vehicles, then came to rest with its fuselage embedded in the ground. Three people suffered serious injuries and two others were hospitalized with less serious injuries, Miami-Dade police said at a news conference.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said some people remained trapped inside vehicles hit by the plane. The pilot and co-pilot were also trapped inside the aircraft. More than 60 firefighters and rescue personnel responded to extinguish the burning plane and remove injured people. Crews continued dealing with leaking fuel several hours after the collision.

The plane operated for Prime Air and belonged to 21 Air, a cargo carrier headquartered in North Carolina. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said the 32-year-old Boeing 767 had spent more than two decades flying as a passenger aircraft before its conversion to a freighter in 2015. Photos from the scene showed it stopped beside two semitrailers on an airport road. The aircraft appeared to have attempted a belly landing, and officials said it suffered comparatively limited damage despite the fire.

FlightAware reported that the crash delayed about 250 arrivals and departures at Miami airport. The National Transportation Safety Board sent an investigative team led by chair Jennifer Homendy. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a social media post that the company was working with airport authorities and local police to determine what happened, adding that the priority was the safety, health and treatment of those involved.

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The priority right now is the safety and health of those involved and the treatment of the injured.