Plane Collides In Cuba

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A Boeing 737 plane with 105 passengers on a domestic flight crashed on Friday minutes after taking off from Havana's main airport, Cuban press reported. A total of 100 people died, reports the BBC.

The plane, operated by Cubana de Aviación, was destined for Holguín. Ambulances and firefighters rushed to the scene.

"It crashed between the town of Boyeros and the town of Santiago de La Vega," said state television in its midday newscast. "A column of black smoke rose in the sky," Ana González, a resident of the area, told Reuters.

The plane was possibly chartered from a small Mexican airline called Damojh, state media said.

"There is no information yet, we are gathering what we can to provide correct information," a Damojh representative told Reuters in Mexico. "As the day progresses there will be more information."

The plane was being operated by Cubana, an airline that has taken many of its planes out of service in recent months due to mechanical problems. Cuban First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa met Thursday with Cuban officials to discuss improvements in his much-criticized service. The airline is notorious among Cubans for its frequent delays and cancellations, which Cubana blames for the lack of parts and aircraft due to the United States' trade embargo on the island.

Friday's accident was Cuba's third major accident since 2010.