International

Cuba Plane Crash: Over 100 Dead After Boeing 737 Crashes In Havana

Darpan News Desk, 18 May, 2018 05:21 PM

A Boeing 737 domestic passenger plane, with 104 passengers including five children and nine crew members from Havana to Holguin, came down shortly after takeoff.

Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said there are three survivors, all women, who are in critical condition, reported news agency Reuters. Rescue operations are underway at the site; the fire has been put out and authorities are trying to identify the bodies.

Boeing, in a statement, said it was apprised of the crash and was closely monitoring the situation. According to flight tracker, the aircraft was CU972, which departed from Havana at 11 am local time.

Firefighters were trying to extinguish its smoldering remains. Government officials including President Miguel Diaz-Canel rushed to the site, along with a large number of emergency medical workers and ambulances. Residents of the rural area said they had seen some survivors being taken away in ambulances.

A military officer who declined to provide his name to reporters said that there appeared to have been only three survivors in critical condition, but other officials declined to confirm that figure.

The plane was rented by Cubana, which has taken many of its aging planes out of service in recent months due to mechanical problems. Cuba’s First Vice-President, Salvador Valdes Mesa, met Thursday with Cubana officials to discuss improvements in its heavily criticized service.

Harrowing video captures moments after passenger jet carrying 104 passengers hit the ground in Cuba, exploding into a massive fireball. https://t.co/AheZpJc6CO pic.twitter.com/XiFsGagjtC
— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2018

MORE: Eyewitness video shows the aftermath of a passenger jet carrying 104 passengers crashing shortly after takeoff in Cuba. So far, three survivors have been found among the wreckage. https://t.co/IAUjBl6fUe pic.twitter.com/CbIT0sXdII
— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2018

#Boeing737 crash in #Cuba:
- Plane ‘struck power line’
- Over 100 killed
- 3 survivors in hospitalhttps://t.co/CiTSFqEiED pic.twitter.com/WfXPGPSuNc
— RT (@RT_com) May 18, 2018

UPDATE: At least 100 people were killed in a plane crash near Havana, according to Cuban authorities. https://t.co/f5Beb4aIzn
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) May 18, 2018

#UPDATE More than 100 killed after Boeing 737 crashes in #Cuba https://t.co/mFwrmKscri pic.twitter.com/mqhC6Ehoyo
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) May 18, 2018

Prev Next

MORE International ARTICLES

Donald Trump Appoints Indian-American Raj Shah To Key Position In White House

Trump announced on Tuesday evening he was moving Shah, who was the Deputy Communications Director, to the new position. He will also retain his position as a deputy assistant to the President.

Donald Trump Appoints Indian-American Raj Shah To Key Position In White House

Man Kills Wife, Three Daughters On Suspicion Of Infidelity In Pakistan

A Pakistani man on Monday killed his wife and three daughters on suspicion of infidelity in an eastern Punjab district.

Man Kills Wife, Three Daughters On Suspicion Of Infidelity In Pakistan

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi At UC Berkeley: 'Absolutely Ready' To Be PM Candidate For 2019

Choosing foreign soil, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has declared he is "absolutely ready" to be the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 general elections.

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi At UC Berkeley: 'Absolutely Ready' To Be PM Candidate For 2019

Abducted Kerala Catholic Priest Rescued In Yemen - With Oman's Intervention

A Catholic priest from Kerala, Tom Uzhunnallil, abducted by terrorists in Aden in March last year, has been rescued from captivity from an undisclosed location in Yemen, thanks to the intervention of the Oman government.

Abducted Kerala Catholic Priest Rescued In Yemen - With Oman's Intervention

Sikh Volunteers Reach Bangladesh-Myanmar Border To Provide LANGAR To Rohingya Refugees

Volunteers from Sikh NGO Khalsa Aid have reached Bangladesh-Myanmar border to provide relief to the Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.

Sikh Volunteers Reach Bangladesh-Myanmar Border To Provide LANGAR To Rohingya Refugees

Four Indian-Origin Men Plead Guilty In US Call Centre Scam

Nisarg Patel, 26, of New Jersey, Dilipkumar Ramanlal Patel, 30, of Florida, and Rajesh Kumar, 39, of Arizona, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering offences.