At least five dead and five injured in Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport

At least five people died after an Amazon cargo plane crashed after skidding off the runway after landing at Miami International Airport, authorities confirmed.

In a press conference, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz confirmed that five people died in the accident and that five others were injured and taken to the hospital.

The Amazon cargo plane skidded off the runway at Miami International Airport, “collided with several vehicles and caught fire” Sunday afternoon, according to the city's fire department, which added that it was “assessing the condition of the injured.”

“More than 60 firefighters are at the scene of the accident of a plane that left the runway and collided with several vehicles near Miami International Airport,” they wrote on social media, adding that they were “working to extinguish the fire and evaluate the condition of the injured,” without providing further details.

The FAA indicated that the cargo plane involved in the accident was Prime Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 from Puerto Rico, and announced the opening of an investigation.

“Prime Air Flight 7598 left the runway at Miami International Airport (...) at approximately 2:00 p.m. (Sunday), leaving the aircraft stopped northwest of the airport,” they explained.

Videos of the crash circulating on social media show thick smoke and flames coming from a plane with the Prime Air logo in light blue, which appears to have crossed a road before stopping. Several trucks are nearby.

“Upon arrival, the teams found a plane that had caught fire after the accident, with large flames and smoke,” the firefighters described.

In images recorded by AFP around 4:00 p.m., the fire appeared to have been extinguished. Patrol cars and ambulances with flashing lights on were seen in the area.

When contacted by AFP, Amazon confirmed the accident, which occurred during landing, and stated that it was “doing everything possible to help those affected,” according to its spokesperson, Kelly Nantel. “The situation is evolving very quickly and we continue to gather information,” he added.