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

India Could Be Behind Killing Of Chinese National In Pakistan: Minister

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday alleged that India could be involved in the targeted killing of a Chinese national in Karachi, media reports said.

India Could Be Behind Killing Of Chinese National In Pakistan: Minister

Gas Station Owned By Sikh Vandalised With Racial Slur

A gas station owned by a Sikh in the US state of Kentucky has been vandalised by a masked man with racist slurs and vulgar phrases, according to media reports.

Gas Station Owned By Sikh Vandalised With Racial Slur

Republican Hindu Coalition-Backed Candidate Disqualified In Congressional Primary Poll

A candidate backed by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), Vandana Jhingan, who wanted to challenge an Indian Democratic Congressman is off the primary ballot after officials said they found irregularities in her nominating petition.

Republican Hindu Coalition-Backed Candidate Disqualified In Congressional Primary Poll

Self-Styled 'Godman' Held From Uttar Pradesh Ashram, 6 Girls Rescued

Five people, including Prasad, have been arrested from the ashram from where six minor girls have been freed and sent to Bal Kalyan Samiti for counselling, the magistrate said.

Self-Styled 'Godman' Held From Uttar Pradesh Ashram, 6 Girls Rescued

Immigration System Needs To Be Quicker, Equal: Indian Techie’s Widow Sunayana Dumala

Noting that the Indian-Americans were facing a lot of "trouble", the 32-year-old Sunayana urged them to "raise their voice and share their stories."

Immigration System Needs To Be Quicker, Equal: Indian Techie’s Widow Sunayana Dumala

Kashmiri Journalist Gulam Jeelani Selected For Indian-American Funded Fellowship

Delhi-based Kashmiri journalist Gulam Jeelani has been chosen for a fellowship in the US funded by a foundation started by prominent Indian-American entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Frank Islam and his wife Debbie Driesman.