In Cuba, more than a hundred people died in a plane crash. The crash of a passenger liner in Cuba: what do we know The crash of a plane in Cuba on May 18

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A passenger plane crashed in Cuba. There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board.

The cause of the crash is still unknown, Cuban authorities have announced the launch of an investigation.

There is no official data on the victims and injured yet, but the media claim that at least three people survived, they are in critical condition.

Cuban authorities have declared national mourning in connection with the plane crash.

A Boeing 737 operated by the Cuban state airline Cubana de Aviacion, which took off from Havana Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff. He was heading for the town of Holguin in the east of the island.

The passengers were mostly Cubans, with only five foreign nationals, state portal Cubadebate reported.

What was seen from the ground

Eyewitnesses say they saw flames that engulfed the plane before it crashed.

“We heard an explosion and then saw a huge cloud of black smoke rising from the place where the plane crashed,” said local restaurateur Gilberto Menendez.

The Mexican Transportation Authority said in a statement that a technical malfunction occurred on board the plane during takeoff.

The American corporation Boeing has declared that it is ready to send a group of its experts to Cuba, which is not prohibited by US law. Such a group will work under the leadership of the US Transportation Security Administration and the Cuban authorities.

The US embargo on Cuba continues under President John F. Kennedy.

"There was a plane crash. The news is not encouraging, apparently, there are a large number of victims," ​​the head of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who arrived at the scene, wrote on Twitter.

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The plane belonged to the Mexican company Aerolineas Damoj and was leased from the Cuban company Cubana de Aviacion, the Mexican government said in a statement.

The aircraft was built in 1979 and had six Mexican crew members on board, including the commander and co-pilot.

The Boeing Company has already announced that it is ready to send a team of specialists to help the Cuban authorities.

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"I saw him take off," supermarket employee José Luis told Agence France-Presse. "Suddenly, he made a turn and began to fall. We were all amazed."

Local radio tweeted that the plane crashed on the road between Havana and Boyeros, 20 kilometers south of the capital.

Last year was named the safest year in the history of commercial transportation, according to the results of a study by the Aviation Safety Network - there was not a single crash. passenger aircraft.

However, there have already been several serious aviation accidents this year. Last month, a military plane crashed in Algiers shortly after takeoff, killing 257 people.

In Cuba, find out the causes of the crash "Boeing-737" The night before, he collapsed almost immediately after takeoff from Havana airport. At this moment, it is known that there were 110 people on board, only three women managed to survive, but they are in extremely serious condition. According to the latest data, there are no Russians among the victims of the plane crash.

These shots were taken in the first seconds after the tragedy. Visitors and staff at José Martí Airport look in horror at the flames and giant plume of smoke rising just a few kilometers from the runway.

“We were checking in when we heard the sound of an explosion. At that moment, the lights went out in the hall, we looked out into the street and saw clouds of black smoke. Then we were told that it was a plane crash,” said Brian Oranbueno.

The crashed Boeing 737, built 39 years ago, was operated by the Cuban national carrier Cubana de Aviación, which had leased the aircraft from the Mexican airline Global Air. At noon local time, the liner took off from the capital's José Marti Airport to the city of Holguin in the east of the country. Minutes later, it became known that the Boeing had crashed in the countryside near the Havana suburb of Santiago de Las Vegas.

Eyewitnesses said that immediately after takeoff, the liner turned towards the airport and seemed to be landing, but crashed into a power line pylon. None of the residential buildings were damaged.

“He flew low, as if he could not gain altitude. Then he began to turn back. And at that moment, the wing touched the wires and immediately collapsed to the ground, ”said the eyewitness.

According to the latest data, there were 104 passengers on board, including five children, and a crew of six people. Only four managed to survive. However, later one of them, a man, died in the hospital. Three more women - with burns and fractures - remain in critical condition.

"We are doing everything possible. Now it is difficult to say something more specific - the injuries of the victims are very serious," said the head physician of the hospital, Carlos Alberto Martinez Blanco.

A few hours after the disaster, it turned out that among the dead were two citizens of Argentina. Before that, it was reported that only Mexicans were foreigners - the crew of the ship.

Our embassy in Havana reported that the Russians did not fly on this flight.

“Immediately after receiving information about the crash, Russian diplomats left for the José Marti airport in Havana. According to the latest information received from the official Cuban authorities, there were no Russian citizens on board the plane,” Nadezhda Sergieva, spokeswoman for the Russian Consulate General in Cuba, said.

Search operations in the area of ​​the fall of the Boeing, despite the onset of darkness, do not stop. Teams of doctors and rescuers, who, according to eyewitnesses, arrived at the scene just 12 minutes after the tragedy, continue to search for the remains of the victims of the disaster and collect the wreckage of the liner. At the airport itself, psychologists provide assistance to the relatives of the dead, who suddenly lost their loved ones.

At this point, the most probable cause an accident is considered a technical failure. The Cuban authorities have not yet been able to report anything more specific - the "black boxes" have not yet been found.

“On behalf of the government and the party, I express my deep condolences to the families and friends of those who died in this terrible disaster. We do whatever is necessary in such situations. Doctors have begun to identify the remains of the dead, an investigation into the causes of the incident has begun. As soon as we manage to find out something, we will inform about it," said the President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

In connection with the tragedy in Cuba, two days of mourning have been declared. The leaders of dozens of countries expressed their condolences to the government and the Cuban people. President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram with words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to those who survived the disaster.

MEXICO CITY, May 19- RIA News. More than a hundred people died in the crash Boeing aircraft 737-200 in Cuba, which occurred on Friday shortly after the plane took off from Havana Airport.

According to the Mexican company Global Air, from which Cubana de Aviacion leased the aircraft, there were 110 people on board, including 104 passengers and six crew members. Among the passengers of the crashed plane were five foreigners, the rest were Cubans, the crew was from Mexico. There were no Russian citizens on board, according to the embassy. Later it became known about two dead Argentines.

The Havana-Holguin airliner crashed shortly after takeoff, crashing between Jose Marti Airport and the Havana suburb of Santiago de Las Vegas, in an agricultural landing area.

There are survivors

Shortly after the crash, local media reported on four survivors of the plane crash. The three surviving women were taken to the intensive care unit of the Havana Calixto Garcia Hospital in serious condition, the man died on the way to the hospital. Later, Cuba TV reported the death of one of the women, but then denied this information.

The victims have multiple fractures, hematomas and burns, they are assisted by resuscitators, surgeons, neurologists, orthopedists and other specialists.

According to the Ministry of Transport of Mexico, the aircraft was 39 years old, it was released in 1979, but had all the necessary permits to work.

The President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said that an investigation into the circumstances of the crash would be carried out, and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The black boxes have not yet been found.

All terminals of the Havana José Marti Airport continue to operate.

© Ruptly

eyewitness accounts

Eyewitnesses told Cuban TV that the plane tried to return to the airport after takeoff, but crashed into power lines. Witnesses also reported that the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall.

The accident was the first for Cubana de Aviacion since 1999, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) portal, which tracks aviation accidents.

International reaction

Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of condolences to Diaz-Canel. "The head of the Russian state conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to those who managed to survive in this disaster," the telegram says.

Condolences were sent by Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, France. Boeing also expressed its condolences to the families of the passengers and crew of the crashed aircraft, as well as its readiness to provide the necessary technical assistance.

As RIA Novosti was told in the press service of the State Department, the United States is studying information about the crash of the Boeing-737 plane in Cuba and finding out if there were American citizens on board. Canada has said it is working on getting additional information and, if necessary, is ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens.

Cuban authorities have declared mourning in connection with the plane crash.

Declared official mourning in the country for the next two days due to a plane crash that occurred on the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 crashed shortly after taking off from international airport named after Jose Marti. There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board. According to the flight engineer, a technical failure could have been the cause of the crash.

The State Council of Cuba declared official mourning in the country for the next two days because of the plane crash that occurred on the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 crashed shortly after takeoff from José Marti International Airport, FAN reports.

There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft (110 people in total). Flight DMJ 0972 was heading from Havana to the province of Holguin, Cuba Debate reports.

According to Cuban media, the aircraft was leased by Cubana de Aviación from the Mexican airline Damojh and was piloted by a foreign crew. It is known that one of the women who survived the crash died in the hospital. The other two victims are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

According to witnesses, the plane before the crash turned around to return to the airport and crashed into power lines.

As noted, the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall. The first footage from the crash site of a passenger airliner has appeared on the Web. The video captures the first footage after the disaster. The footage shows a plume of black smoke rising from the crash site near the runway at Havana Airport.

There were no Russian citizens on board the plane that crashed near Havana, NSN reports with reference to the Russian Embassy in Cuba. Two Argentine citizens are known to be among the dead.

"The Ministry regrets to announce that two Argentine citizens died today in Havana in a commercial passenger plane crash that crashed on takeoff from the airport," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The flight engineer who served the flight, which took off a few minutes earlier than the plane that crashed on Friday near Havana, believes that a technical failure could be the cause of the crash, RIA Novosti reports.

“Today (Friday), around 11 am, we, the members of two crews, met in the back office of the terminal (Havana airport) for lunch and a few words before the flight.

We will not meet like this again - apparently due to a technical failure that occurred in the aircraft, ”the specialist said.

“I know that you must be in a lot of pain. Imagine the pain I feel as a flight engineer with 17 years of experience, colleague and friend of the crew of the (crashed) Boeing 737-200. 13 minutes before its fall, our crew, which was performing another domestic flight Cubana Airlines, flew to the province of Santiago de Cuba. We communicated with them by radio, taxiing to the runway ... ”, the flight engineer explained.

UPD 23:00 All passengers and crew members of the plane that crashed near the capital of Cuba - Foreign citizens. This is reported by the website of the Cuban newspaper Granma. According to her, there were a total of 105 people on board, including five children. Previously, there were data on 113 passengers and crew members. Meanwhile, several people survived the crash. However, according to Reuters, one of them has already died from burns in the hospital. Two other victims remain in the hospital in critical condition. The Boeing was leased by Cuban Airlines from a Mexican carrier and was flown by a foreign crew. The aircraft was on a domestic flight to the east of Cuba. After takeoff, the ship crashed on agricultural fields near the first terminal of the airport. José Marty.

Boeing 737 of a local airline crashed on takeoff at Havana airport. The death toll is still unknown, but the Cuban authorities have already warned that it is likely that there are numerous victims.

The plane, for unknown reasons, crashed to the ground almost immediately after takeoff from José Marti Airport in Havana. The aircraft was heading to the city of Holguin in eastern Cuba. Boeing was leased by Cubana de Aviacion from the Mexican Damojh and was piloted by a foreign crew, Cubadebate writes.

According to various sources, there were 104 or 107 passengers and crew on board. There are survivors from the crash - local residents told The Associated Press that they saw the victims being transported in ambulances. Rescue services are working at the site of the tragedy, and the leader of the country, Miguel Diaz Canel, also arrived there.

The Russian Consulate General is investigating whether there were citizens of our country on board the plane.


Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel


Photo AFP