A Colombian passenger jet operated by local airline Aires has crashed while landing on San Andres island during a storm, killing one passenger and injuring 114.
The Boeing 737, which was carrying 121 passengers and six crew members, was arriving on the island when it crashed short of the runway.
Lightning and heavy winds were reported around the time of the crash.
‘The plane arriving from Bogota landed in the middle of an intense electrical storm,’ Colonel Gustavo Barrero of the Colombia Air Force said.
The injured were taken to local hospitals.
‘The captain of the airliner (pilot) told us it was struck by lighting. We are inspecting the remains of the plane to try to establish what the damages were and what caused the accident,’ said Donald Tascon, deputy director of Colombia's aeronautics authority.
The plane's fuselage broke into three parts.
The island's airport was closed to allow the investigation to proceed.
Medics on the scene told El Tiempo newspaper that passenger Amar Fernandez de Barretos suffered a heart attack just after the accident and died on her way to the hospital.
Airline Aires is privately owned.
