Amazon Prime Air cargo plane crashes at Miami International Airport

At least five people died when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overshot the runway and suffered an accident while landing at Miami International Airport this Sunday (6).

Prime Air Flight 7598 left the airport's diagonal runway and collided with several vehicles on the ground, authorities said during a press conference Sunday afternoon.

Five people were also injured in the crash, including three who are in critical condition, Miami-Dade Fire Department Chief Ray Jadallah said. At least two people were trapped in vehicles hit by the plane, and the pilot and co-pilot were trapped inside the aircraft due to the impact, Jadallah said.

Authorities declined to identify the victims.

More than 60 rescue units and about 200 professionals responded to the incident, the Miami-Dade Fire Department said in a statement. Late in the afternoon, emergency crews were still dealing with a fuel leak from the aircraft, Jadallah said.

Although the airport suspended all flights immediately after the crash, work resumed on Sunday night.

The aircraft, which departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter that had operated as a passenger plane for several airlines from 1994 to 2015, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Cargo airline 21 Air operated the aircraft for Amazon, an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are deeply shaken by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today,” 21 Air said on its website. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.”

Flightradar24 reported that the aircraft was flying at 112 knots (about 207 km/h) when it left the usable runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates civil aviation accidents in the US, said it sent a team led by President Jennifer Homendy to investigate the accident and will hold its first press conference in Miami on Monday.

Amazon is still gathering details about what happened, said company spokeswoman Kelly Nantel. “We are working closely with local authorities and responders to understand exactly what happened,” Nantel said in a statement. “Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being and care of everyone involved.”

Boeing and 21 Air said they will support the government's investigation into the crash.

Sunday's incident is not the first time an Amazon Prime Air aircraft has been involved in a fatal accident. In February 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-300 freighter operating on behalf of Amazon Prime Air from Miami to Houston, entered rapid descent and crashed into Trinity Bay, Texas. All three people on board died.

Miami, a major hub for trade with Latin America, is the third busiest cargo airport in the United States, behind only Anchorage, Alaska, and Louisville, Kentucky, according to the Airports Council International.

The volume of cargo transported totaled almost 3.5 million metric tons last year, and passenger traffic reached 55.3 million, making it the eighth busiest airport in the country, according to data released by the airport in June.

In November, a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Kentucky, killing 15 people, including three crew members and 12 people on the ground.