(MEXICO CITY) — An Aeromexico jetliner crashed whereas taking off throughout a extreme storm in northern Mexico on Tuesday, smacking down in a subject almost intact then catching hearth, however officers mentioned everybody on board escaped alive.
Gov. Jose Aispuro, who had initially reported there have been no deaths however later mentioned authorities have been looking out the charred Embraer 190 to verify, introduced late Tuesday that “no person has died.”
He mentioned the pilot and one different individual have been in critical however steady situation. Earlier, he mentioned a complete of 49 folks had been taken to hospitals, and officers mentioned most had minor accidents.
“Fortunately we have now found all 103 — now we know where each one is — this gives us a lot of tranquility,” Aispuro mentioned.
The federal authorities earlier mentioned 101 folks have been on the aircraft, 97 passengers and 4 crew members. But the governor mentioned two minors had not been included within the first tally.
The state civil protection workplace printed pictures of a burning however comparatively intact aircraft mendacity on its stomach in a subject. Ambulances lined up on the accident website to ferry the injured to hospitals. The governor mentioned some passengers bought out underneath their energy, and a few even wandered again to the close by airport of Durango metropolis to hunt out kin.
Officials and witnesses differed on whether or not the aircraft both fell shortly after takeoff or ran off the runway with out actually gaining altitude. But they agreed the aircraft was making an attempt to take off throughout a storm, with some describing marble-sized hail.
The governor mentioned a gust of wind hit the aircraft shortly after it took off, inflicting the jet to lose velocity and hit the bottom with its left wing, knocking each engines free. He mentioned the aircraft skidded right into a subject in a horizontal place, which allowed escape slides to activate so all passengers and crew may escape earlier than the aircraft caught hearth.
Israel Solano Mejia, director of the Durango metropolis civil protection company, informed Foro TV that the aircraft “made it off the ground, but fell nose-first” only a few hundred yards from the tip of the runway.
“The nose took the hit. The most seriously injured is the pilot,” Solano Mejia mentioned. However, he mentioned, “the majority of passengers left (the plane) under their own power.”
The federal Transport Department workplace mentioned in a press assertion that the airplane “suffered an accident moments after takeoff,” however gave no info on the doable trigger.
Aeromexico mentioned the flight was AM2431 from Durango to Mexico City.
The site Planespotters.web mentioned the Brazilian-made medium-range Embraer 190 was about 10 years outdated and had seen service with two different airways earlier than becoming a member of the Aeromexico fleet.
Operations have been suspended at Guadalupe Victoria airport after the crash.
Durango state Gov. Jose Aispuro mentioned at a information convention late Tuesday that the aircraft skidded right into a subject in a horizontal place. He says that escape slides have been activated so all passengers and crew may escape earlier than the aircraft caught hearth Tuesday afternoon.
The governor says all 103 passengers and crew have been accounted for alive. He says the aircraft’s pilot is in critical situation with burns.