Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport, killing at least five

• An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport after arriving from Puerto Rico, killing at least five people.
• Three people were critically injured, while authorities have not yet determined whether those killed were aboard the aircraft or inside vehicles it struck.

An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking vehicles and bursting into flames, killing at least five people, authorities said.

The aircraft crashed at around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three people were critically injured, while two others were hospitalized with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials said.

Authorities said it was too early to determine whether the five people killed were aboard the plane or in the vehicles struck during the crash.

The accident sent thick black smoke into the sky and trapped the pilot and copilot inside the cockpit, according to Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah. Other people were trapped inside vehicles, including one person found beneath a vehicle.

The crash brought operations at the busy airport to a halt for much of Sunday afternoon. Fire crews continued dealing with a fuel leak from the aircraft several hours after the crash, Jadallah said.

Images from the scene showed the Prime Air aircraft resting beside a roadway near two semi-trucks. The plane appeared to have come to rest on its belly and remained largely intact despite the fire.

Around 250 flights were delayed at the airport by late Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware.

The flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier. The aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767 that was originally built as a passenger aircraft before being converted for cargo operations in 2015.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to Miami to investigate the crash.

Amazon said it would cooperate with the investigation.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

Jackson Lee, who operates an electronics shop near the crash site, said he and four colleagues went outside after hearing about the incident and saw smoke rising near the airport fences.

“We hear planes taking off and landing every five minutes. I thought I’d got used to it,” Lee said. “I never thought it could come this close to us."