MEXICO, May 19- RIA News. More than a hundred people died in the crash Boeing aircraft 737-200 in Cuba, which happened on Friday shortly after the liner took off from Havana airport.
According to the Mexican company Global Air, from which Cubana de Aviacion rented the plane, 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. Russian citizens, according to the embassy, were not on board. Later it became known about the two Argentines killed.
The liner on the Havana-Holguin flight crashed shortly after takeoff, crashing between José Martí Airport and the Havana suburb of Santiago de las Vegas, in the agricultural landings.
There are survivors
Shortly after the crash, local media reported four survivors of the crash. The three surviving women were taken to the intensive care unit of the Calixto Garcia Hospital in Havana 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 Mexican Ministry of Transport, the plane was 39 years old, it was released in 1979, but it had all the necessary work permits.
The President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said that an investigation would be carried out into the circumstances of the crash, and expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims. No black boxes have been found yet.
All terminals at Havana Jose 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 said that the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall.
The crash was the first for the Cubana de Aviacion company since 1999, follows from the data of the portal Aviation Safety Network (ASN), 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 catastrophe," the telegram says.
Condolences were sent by Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, France. Boeing also expressed condolences to the loved ones of the passengers and crew of the crashed plane, as well as willingness to provide the necessary technical assistance.
As the press service of the State Department told RIA Novosti, the United States is studying information about the crash of a Boeing-737 plane in Cuba and finding out whether there were American citizens on board. Canada said it is working to obtain additional information and, if necessary, is ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens.
The Cuban authorities declared mourning in connection with the plane crash.
Sergey Orlov, Vladimir Smirnov
Passenger aircraft Boeing 737-200 of the Cuban airline Cubana de Aviacion, performing domestic flight from Havana to Holguin province, crashed on takeoff. More than 100 people were on board the aircraft. The airliner was reportedly leased from the Mexican airline Damojh and operated by a foreign crew. The head of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, arrived at the scene of the disaster, announcing the large number of victims of the tragedy. At the same time, there is no official information on the number of dead and wounded yet.
- Adalberto ROQUE
On Friday, May 18, a Boeing 737 of the Cuban airline Cubana de Aviacion crashed during takeoff at the Havana airport. The plane crashed a few minutes after taking off from international airport Havana named after Jose Martí. The Cuban authorities have already confirmed the fact of the crash.
"At 12:08 a Boeing 737-200, leased by Cubana de Aviacion, with a foreign crew and 104 passengers on board, flying from Havana to Holguin on flight DMJ 0972, fell to the ground at the moment of takeoff," the official press of the Central Committee said Communist Party of Cuba - Granma newspaper.
It is noted that the plane crashed between the airport named after Jose Marti and settlement Santiago de las Vegas. Emergency services are at the scene.
Cubanet clarifies that wrecked the plane belonged to the Mexican airline Damojh.
Official data on the number of victims of the disaster is not yet available. The media reported that there were more than a hundred people on board the aircraft. So, according to the Infobae website, there were 104 people on board the crashed Cuban Boeing. The Cibercuba edition, with reference to the Cuban Radio Rebelde journalist Gabriel Silva, writes that there were 107 people on board, not counting the crew members, RIA Novosti notes.
Before the official confirmation that the Boeing 737's destination was an airport in the Cuban province of Holguín in the east of the island, information appeared that the plane was operating international flight... At the same time, CNN reported that Boeing could be heading to Guyana.
The head of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, arrived at the crash site. Even before arriving at the scene, the head of Cuba announced a "large number" of victims of the disaster at the Havana airport.
“There was a regrettable aviation incident. The news is not encouraging, the number of victims is probably high, ”AFP quotes Diaz-Canel.
At the same time, witnesses to the crash of the Boeing 737 announced survivors who were transported in ambulances, reports The Associated Press.
It is not yet known whether there are foreigners among the dead. This information is being investigated by the emergency services of the Republic of Cuba, as well as consular departments. Thus, the secretary of the Russian embassy in Cuba, Nadezhda Sergieva, said that the diplomatic mission is in constant contact with the country's authorities to find out if the Russians were on board the crashed liner.
“There are no details yet. The diplomats are in constant contact with the Cuban competent authorities, they are trying to find out the circumstances of the incident - whether there were Russian citizens on board, ”RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to the Cuban leader in connection with the plane crash at the Havana airport. This was reported by the Kremlin press service.
"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 message says.
The Cuban authorities clarified that the incident did not lead to a disruption in the operation of the José Martí airport in Havana. According to the head of the Corporation civil aviation Cuba Roberto Peña Sampera, the airport continues to operate.
In turn, representatives Boeing reported that they were monitoring the situation in connection with the plane crash in Cuba.
VILNIUS, May 19 - Sputnik. A flight engineer serving a flight that had previously taken off a crashed Boeing 737 in Cuba suggested that a technical failure could be the cause of the disaster, RIA Novosti reports, citing Cuban portal Cubadebate.
“13 minutes before he crashed, our crew, on another domestic Cubana flight, flew to Santiago de Cuba province. the members of the two crews met at the terminal (Havana airport) office for lunch and a few words before the flight. aircraft"- said a flight engineer named Joanner.
The crash of the Boeing 737 near Havana
On Friday, a Boeing 737, flying from Havana to Holguin, crashed shortly after takeoff. As eyewitnesses told local media, the plane tried to return to the airport, but crashed into power lines.
© AFP 2020 / YAMIL LAGE
According to the Mexican company Global Air, from which Cubana de Aviacion rented the plane, there were 110 people on board. Among the passengers were five foreigners, two of them are Argentine citizens, the rest are Cubans.
It is noted that the crashed plane was 39 years old, but it had all the necessary permits.
Local media reported four survivors of the plane crash. Three women were taken to hospital in serious condition, the man died on the way.
In connection with the tragedy, the Cuban authorities declared mourning.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite expressed her condolences to the people of Cuba. Condolences were also sent by the authorities of Russia, Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, France.
There were over a hundred people on board
May 18. An ordinary day in the capital of hot and joyful Cuba was overshadowed by a terrible tragedy. Around noon, a passenger airliner crashed near Jose Marti airport, which is located near Havana.
One of the first to report on the terrible tragedy was the publication “ The sun". According to him, the plane crashed immediately after takeoff at 12:30 local time (the difference with Moscow is nine hours).
As "Region online" found out, a monstrous tragedy happened to. Many Russians clung to TV screens and started watching news feeds. This is because tourists, including Russian ones, could have been on board this plane.
Timeline of the fall
The Boeing-737-200 airliner, leased from the Mexican company Damojh by the Cubana de Aviacion air carrier, was supposed to take off from Jose Marti International Airport at half the first day and go to the east of Cuba, to the city of Holguín. It was a domestic flight, but tourists could also fly on it.
Russian citizens could be on board crashed plane, - emphasized in the Russian Embassy in Cuba.
This message alarmed the people of our country. The tragedy that happened in Cuba could no longer pass by the Russians.
According to various sources, there were from 103 to 109 passengers and crew members on board. Immediately after takeoff, the plane began to descend and fell to the ground. Puffs of smoke were visible from Havana itself. Not surprisingly, the crash site was only 30 kilometers from the Cuban capital.
It is noteworthy that the tragedy could have become even worse, because the air port almost fell on the campus. So, in the immediate vicinity of the crash site, students of a Cuban school live.
Numerous photos and. The footage of the Havana-Holguin plane shows that the scatter of the fragments was not very large - the reason for this was that the plane began to fall immediately after takeoff.
Emergency services arrived at the scene. Even from the initial data, it was clear that people could survive in a plane crash.
What happened after?
Dozens of specialists arrived at the scene of the incident almost instantly, but by that time they had pulled up and locals... The photo from the scene of the tragedy shows that a whole crowd has gathered not far from the blazing plane. The police had to cordon off.
Together with emergency services, the leader of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, went to the scene of the tragedy. He was the first to report that there were many casualties as a result of the disaster. Then the Russian Embassy in Cuba began to check the information about whether there were any.
The first versions of the reasons for the fall immediately appeared. Previously,. The journalists found out that the airline operating the Havana-Holguin flight used old planes. So, Boeing, which crashed in Cuba, worked for about 10 years.
At the same time, information began to appear that survivors were found among the wreckage of the Havana-Holguin plane that crashed in Cuba.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing people being taken away in ambulances from the crash site. This information was quickly confirmed.
It turned out that as a result of the plane crash. All forces were thrown into their salvation. They were provided with all the necessary assistance and were hospitalized, as the eyewitnesses told about.
Later, one of the three survivors of the plane crash died in hospital. At the same time, it turned out that among the dead there are at least five children. The surviving passengers are in serious condition.
Effects
As a result, more than a hundred people, including several children, died in a plane crash in Cuba. The Russian Embassy is still checking information about Russian citizens on board the crashed Havana-Holguin plane. Previously, there were no Russians in Boeing.
However, information about tourists on board was confirmed - there were citizens of Italy and Germany on the plane.
Representatives of the Russian consulate expressed condolences to the families of those killed in this terrible tragedy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed Cuban State Council Chairman Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and the families of the victims of the plane crash with condolences.
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 Kremlin press service said.
Coming soon new information about how the Havana-Holguin plane crashed in Cuba. In the meantime, people experiencing tragedy have to be content with the crumbs of available information.
Igor STEBLINOV
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This is where Gazeta.Ru ends its online, but, of course, continues to follow the development of events in Havana. Stay with us!
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already expressed his condolences in connection with the plane crash in Havana. He sent a telegram to the Chairman of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, the Kremlin press service reported. "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 catastrophe," the telegram says. We recall that two managed to survive.
The Boeing 737 is the most massive passenger aircraft in the history of the passenger aircraft industry. In March of this year, the ten thousandth aircraft of this manufacturer was put into operation. The model has been produced since 1967. On average, at any given time, there are on average 1200 aircraft in the air, and one Boeing-737 takes off and lands every five seconds in the world.
According to updated information, the plane crashed into agricultural fields between the airport named after Jose Marti and the Havana suburb of Santiago de las Vegas.
One of the survivors of a passenger Boeing crash in Cuba died of burns in a Havana hospital, Reuters reported, citing a hospital spokesman. Two more survivors are in serious condition.
The city of Holguín, where the plane was heading, is located near the famous beach resorts, the largest of which is Guardalavaca. Holguín is the fourth largest city in Cuba. The toponym has nothing to do with the popular Russian name: the city and the province are named so in honor of the discoverer of this part of the island, the Spanish captain Garcia Holguin.
The aircraft was leased by Cubana de Aviación to the Global carrier, Cuban newspaper Granma writes. There were 105 people on board, including passengers and crew. Among the passengers were six children, two of them under two years old.
The Boeing 737, which crashed in Cuba, has been in operation for 26 years. It has flown thousands of miles over the years. Information about the technical condition of the aircraft in recent years and directly on the day of the crash on this moment no.
Eyewitnesses of the liner crash share the details of the incident. “A second and we saw a large fireball, and then clouds of smoke radiating tens of meters above the crashed plane. The plane crashed so close to the airport that everything could be seen from the windows, ”said a local resident.
The preliminary version of the crash of a passenger Boeing-737 in Cuba is considered technical malfunction, according to local media.
Three survivors of the plane crash were hospitalized in critical condition. This is reported by AFP with reference to state media.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) called the likelihood that Russians could be on board the plane crashed in Cuba.
“Large tour operators do not take tourists from Havana to Holguín, although there are niche companies. The likelihood that Russians could have been on board the plane is very small, ”a representative of the association told Interfax.
