At Least Five Killed as Amazon Cargo Plane Crashes at Miami Airport

An Amazon cargo plane ran off a runway at Miami International Airport, struck vehicles, and burst into flames, killing at least five people. The crash occurred at about 2 p.m. local time on Sunday after the aircraft arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.

Miami-Dade County officials said three people were critically injured and two others suffered less serious injuries. They said it was too early to determine whether the people killed had been aboard the plane or inside vehicles hit by the aircraft. Thick black smoke rose over the airport, while the pilot and copilot remained trapped in the cockpit and some people were trapped in cars, authorities said.

The aircraft, a Prime Air B-767-300, appeared to be resting on its belly and remained largely intact despite the fire. The National Transportation Safety Board said it had sent an investigative team to examine the runway excursion. The flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier. Flightradar24 said the 32-year-old Boeing 767 had originally carried passengers and was converted to a cargo aircraft in 2015.

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We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport.

Amazon said it would cooperate with the investigation and expressed sympathy to the victims’ families and others affected. About 250 flights had been delayed by late Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware, and firefighters were still handling a fuel leak several hours after the crash. Jackson Lee, who runs an electronics shop near the site, said he saw smoke rising near the airport fences. “I never thought it could come this close to us,” he said.

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I never thought it could come this close to us.