Dozens of people were injured when a packed passenger jet crashed after takeoff in Mexico’s state of Durango yesterday, but authorities said most were not seriously hurt and there were no fatalities.
The mid-sized Aeromexico-operated Embraer jet was almost full, with 97 passengers and four crew members, when it came down at around 4pm local time, airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte said in a statement.
One passenger told reporters the plane came down in heavy rain. She and her daughter escaped from a hole in the fuselage as the aircraft filled up with smoke and flames, she said.
"A little girl who left the plane was crying because her legs were burnt," said the passenger. The plane had barely left the ground in heavy rain when it came down, she said.
TV images showed the severely damaged body of the plane after it came to rest in scrubland and a column of smoke rose into the sky.
The aircraft made an emergency landing about 10km from the airport, said a spokesman for the state’s civil protection agency.
The spokesman said in an interview that around 85 people had suffered mostly light injuries, adding that the fire resulting from the accident had been put out.
The civil protection agency said 37 people were hospitalised, while the state health department said two passengers were in a critical condition, but many leave the plane on foot.
The airport operator attributed the crash to bad weather, citing preliminary reports.
The plane had barely taken off when it felt like it was hit by a strong air current, another passenger told network Televisa.
"We deeply regret this accident. The families of all those affected are in our thoughts and in our hearts," Aeromexico said in a statement.
The head of Mexico’s civil aviation agency, Luis Gerardo Fonseca, said it could take months to know the cause of the accident.
Speaking to Televisa, he said the plane's voice and data recorders would be recovered once rescue efforts were completed.
