A passenger plane on take-off collided with a fire engine at Lima International Airport in Peru on Friday, setting the plane on fire, evacuating passengers and killing two firefighters.
Footage filmed by witnesses to the crash and broadcast by television channels showed the plane, which flight tracking websites said was an Airbus A320, going at full speed for takeoff, then crashing into a speeding truck and blocking the road in front of it.
#BREAKING: LATAM Airlines plane collides with fire truck at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru @6NewsAU pic.twitter.com/YmorpKIgbH
- Leonardo Puglisi (@Leo_Puglisi6) November 18, 2022
Lima Airport Partners, the operator of Jorge Chavez airport, said it deeply regrets the death of two members of the air fire brigade in the accident between a fire engine and a plane on the flight near the border with Bolivia.
A paramedic who was in the firefighters' vehicle was also injured in the accident, according to a security official, who explained that he was in "critical condition due to a head injury."
For its part, the airline "Latam", which operates this domestic flight, confirmed that "none of the passengers or crew members lost their lives."
The plane was carrying more than 100 passengers and 6 crew.
WATCH: #BNNPeru Reports
On Saturday, a LATAM Airlines plane taking off from Lima's international airport collided with a firetruck on the runway and caught fire.
pic.twitter.com/Der8Jzclqs
- Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) November 19, 2022
And the general manager of LATAM in Peru - in a press conference - at the airport, expressed his surprise at the presence of firefighters on the runway, explaining that the pilot of the plane had not been informed of anything unusual.
"No emergency was reported with the flight which was in the best conditions for take off, he had permission to take off and he found a truck on the runway we don't know what it was doing there," he said.
The Ministry of Transport also confirmed the incident, and said, "After the death of two men from the air fire brigade and the wounding of a paramedic, the Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking to establish the facts before filing possible charges of murder and causing injury."
#Watch #LATAM flight #LA2213 airlines #crashes into a tuck while taking off at the runway at #Jorge #Chávez International #Airport in #Peru officials say everyone on the aircraft was safely evacuated.
#BREAKING #News #latam #LatinaNoticias #Peru #Lima #Accidente #negligencia pic.twitter.com/B5Yer4n3AT
- Harish Deshmukh (@DeshmukhHarish9) November 19, 2022
For its part, the airport operating company stated that its teams "provide the necessary care for all passengers, and they are in good health."
"We are also investigating to determine the causes of the accident," she added.
Following the accident, a number of flights were canceled while others were diverted to Pisco Airport, 250 km south of Lima.
It also recorded a disturbance in international flights, especially with North America, as Lima is an important platform for transport traffic in the region.