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

16-Year-Old Haryana Girl Shivangi Pathak Becomes Youngest Woman To Scale Mount Everest

A 16-year-old girl from Haryana has registered her name as the youngest woman to scale the world highest peak on Thursday evening, according to local media.

16-Year-Old Haryana Girl Shivangi Pathak Becomes Youngest Woman To Scale Mount Everest

This Nepal College Fulfills Differently-Abled Students' Education Dream

It was hard for the differently-abled students of Palpa district in western Nepal to go to educational institutions initially, but the Tansen Multiple Campus has come to their rescue.

This Nepal College Fulfills Differently-Abled Students' Education Dream

Muri Linggi, Mother Of 4, Third Woman From Arunachal Pradesh To Scale Mt Everest

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein congratulated her and said she has made the state proud.

Muri Linggi, Mother Of 4, Third Woman From Arunachal Pradesh To Scale Mt Everest

2 Indian-Origin Men Among 3 Charged In $200 Million Fraud In US

Two Indian-origin men are among three people charged in the US for allegedly orchestrating a $200 million scheme to defraud investors and others of hundreds of millions of dollars.

2 Indian-Origin Men Among 3 Charged In $200 Million Fraud In US

Top Indian Executive Of Cement Company Gunned Down In Ethiopia

An Indian manager of a leading Nigeria-based cement company has been killed along with two others by unidentified gunmen in Ethiopia, media reports said on Thursday.