Cargo plane splits in half during emergency landing in Costa Rica

A cargo plane for mail and parcels crashed during an emergency landing on the runway at San Jose Airport in Costa Rica on Thursday, without causing any casualties, authorities said.

"The two people (who were on the plane) are in good health" after the accident, which led to the temporary closure of the airport, the head of the Costa Rican fire department, Hector Chavez, told reporters.

Guido Vazquez, a Red Cross rescuer, said the two men who make up the crew are Guatemalan nationals and have been taken to hospital for examination as a precaution.

Julian Belliard, director of operations and security at Iris State Corporation, which operates San Jose airport, said the captain of the Boeing 757 belonging to the German group "DHL" reported a hydraulic system problem and requested that the plane return 25 minutes after takeoff from this airport heading to Guatemala.

During the emergency landing, just before 16:30 GMT, the plane skidded, veered off the runway and split in two.

The accident led to a complete halt to operations at Juan Santamaria Airport (in San Jose), the largest in the country, for about five and a half hours, affecting about 100 flights and 8,500 passengers.

Airport traffic returned to normal for "arrivals and departures", according to Ricardo Hernandez, general manager of Iris.

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