Jacksonville plane crashes on river: charter plane carrying 143 people slips on Guantanamo Bay runway and flows into St. Johns River in Florida

A plane carrying 143 people slid off the runway at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville and into the St. John's River nearby Friday night, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Department announced. The Boeing 737 was not immersed in the water and everyone aboard the plane was found, police said.

The plane came to stop in a shallow part of the St. John's River. In less than 30 minutes, dozens of military and civilian rescuers were on the scene, some going to the plane by boat. Commander Michael Connor, commander of the Jacksonville NAS, described the phenomenon as a "miracle".

Firefighters in Jacksonville reported that 21 people had been transported from places to hospitals in the area. The sheriff's department said in a tweet that all have been listed in good condition.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the aircraft was not a commercial flight, but a contracted flight with the Department of Defense departing from Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Bay naval base announced on Facebook that the "Rotator", a bi-weekly charter flight that brings soldiers, contractors and their families out of the base, has been hit hard by NAS Jacksonville.

The Naval Air Station in Jacksonville stated that there were 136 passengers and seven crew members on board.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted these teams were working to control the leakage of fuel into the water.

There was no immediate word on what had caused the plane to end up in the river. There was stormy weather in the area at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would send a team to investigate.