A plane carrying 104 passengers has crashed shortly after taking off from Jose Marti airport in Cuba’s capital, Havana, according to state media.
A Boeing 737 crashed “near the international airport” on Friday, state agency Prensa Latina reported.
The aircraft was heading from the capital to the eastern city of Holguin, it added.
#LouUltimo Aeronave Boeing-737 que cubría la ruta #LaHabana-Holguín sufrió un accidente en las inmediaciones del Aeropuerto José Martí sin que se conozcan todos los detalles. Según declaraciones oficiales, se trata de un vuelo de la compañía Damojh https://t.co/QMDqQu9GqF pic.twitter.com/1uSyGWe1hB
— Prensa Latina (@PrensaLatina_cu) May 18, 2018
A message posted on Twitter by Prensa Latina showed a thick column of smoke rising into the sky.
Fire crews and ambulances are at the scene, the agency reported.
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who went to visit the scene, said there was a “high number” of casualties, according to AFP news agency.
“There has been an unfortunate aviation accident. The news is not very promising, it seems that there is a high number of victims,” Diaz-Canel was quoted as saying.
Source: Al Jazeera News
