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

Indian Woman Jailed For Reckless Driving, Killing Baby In Australia

Dimple Grace Thomas, a former nurse and personal carer, will have to serve 15 months before she is eligible for parole and also faces deportation to India after her release, Herald Sun reported.

Indian Woman Jailed For Reckless Driving, Killing Baby In Australia

Parents Fly 8,000 Miles From India To Florida To Beat Son's 33-Yr-Old Wife For Being 'Disobedient'

Devbir Kalsi, 33, And His Parents Jasbir, 67, And Bhupinder Kalsi, 61, Were Arrested And Could Face Battery Charges, False Imprisonment And Child Abuse

Parents Fly 8,000 Miles From India To Florida To Beat Son's 33-Yr-Old Wife For Being 'Disobedient'

British Hindus, Sikhs Back UK MP Sarah Champion Over Anti-Pakistan Sexual-Grooming Remarks

Labour Chief Jeremy Corbyn Has Been Criticised By Hindu, Sikh And Christian Leaders For Forcing His Party Mp Sarah Champion To Resign From The Shadow Cabinet.

British Hindus, Sikhs Back UK MP Sarah Champion Over Anti-Pakistan Sexual-Grooming Remarks

Donald Trump Scraps Obama-Era Amnesty Programme; 7,000 Indians To Be Hit

Deferred Action For Children Arrival Programme That Was Effectuated Under Obama Admin Is Being Rescinded

Donald Trump Scraps Obama-Era Amnesty Programme; 7,000 Indians To Be Hit

BRICS Declaration Names Pakistan-Based Terror Groups For The First Time, Pak Rejects Declaration

Under mounting international pressure to act against the terror groups, Pakistan on Tuesday rejected a declaration by the BRICS nations, including China, saying there was no "safe haven" for terrorists on its soil.