5 People Killed After Amazon Plane Crashes at Miami Airport

Local authorities announced five people were killed and another five people were injured when an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway and crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, spurring U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to immediately shut down the airport while the wreck was being investigated.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) announced the fatalities at a press conference around 5:30 p.m. ET, about three hours after the Boeing 767 plane crashed. Fire chief Ray Jadallah told reporters three of the people injured in the crash were in critical condition.

Roughly 90 minutes earlier, Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino reported from the scene there were more than 60 fire trucks responding to the crash. She reported there were “huge clouds of thick smoke” billowing from the plane, which had just left San Juan, Puerto Rico an hour before it overran the Miami runway.

She also pointed out videos on social media showed there were “heavy flames” emerging from the plane.

Duffy posted about 30 minutes earlier he was issuing a full ground stop “while first responders assess the scene.”

“If you’re traveling through the area, please expect significant delays and potential cancellations,” he added.

Footage on Fox News showed a number of emergency vehicles with red sirens flashing at the scene, as well as the plane smashed into the ground.

“Two of the major highways there that run right past the airport – 826 and 836 —appear to be, well at least one of them… appear to be completely shutdown,” anchor Jon Scott said as he watched the live coverage. “They’ve got all sorts of emergency crews out there blocking traffic on the runway.”

The plane reportedly rammed into several vehicles when it smashed down and skidded across the ground.

Scott then interviewed former FAA team rep Kyle Bailey on the crash, asking him about “some of the possible reasons” it happened.

“The key factor here: there was thunderstorms in the vicinity, and it appears the runway was wet at the time of the landing, which would impede that breaking distance,” Bailey said. “If the airplane was obviously using max breaking, it would need more runway because of wet conditions.”

Bailey noted the runway the plane was aiming for is roughly 8,500 feet — or about 1.6 miles – long. He added heavy winds were another issue the pilot was grappling with, which, coupled with the rain, “could spell disaster if you’re not really right on your game.”

Watch above via Fox News.

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