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A chartered plane carrying 143 people and traveling from Cuba to North Florida sits in a river at the end of a runway on Saturday, May 4, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boeing 737 arriving at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville from the Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, with 136 passengers and seven crew members, slid off the runway Friday night into the St. Johns River, a statement said. NAS Jacksonville Press Release. (AP Photo / APTN)
JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A chartered plane carrying 143 people from the US military base in Cuba attempted to land in a thunderstorm and landed in the river at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. Authorities said all the people on board had emerged without critical injuries, lining up on the wings and waiting to be rescued.
The Boeing 737 from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Cuba), arrived in North Florida with 136 passengers and seven crew members, stopped in shallow waters in the St. Johns River . Everyone on board was alive, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, with 21 adults transported to hospitals in good condition.
Sheriff's Department Marine and Jacksonville Fire Rescue units joined the first responders at the Naval Air Station, helping passengers and the crew get on their safety.
Captain Michael Connor, commander of NAS Jacksonville, said at a press conference that the people on board were made up of both civilian and military personnel and that while some were staying in the area, others were considering to fly over the area. country.
"I think it's a miracle," Connor said. "We could talk about a different story tonight."
Base Fire Chief Mark Bruce said the passengers were lined up on the wings of the aircraft when the first responders started rescuing them.
Several pets were also in the plane, and their status was not immediately clear. A Navy statement early Saturday offering "hearts and prayers" to their owners said that safety issues prevented rescuers from immediately recovering the animals.
We did not know right away what was wrong. Boeing said Friday in a tweet that he was investigating: "We are aware of an incident in Jacksonville, Florida, and we are collecting information." The Federal Aviation Administration referred media requests to NAS Jacksonville. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team of 16 investigators to determine what happened.
Connor said that he did not know what impact the weather had had on the flight. "I was at home when that happened and there were thunderstorms and lightning," he said.
A photo posted by MPs shows a Miami Air International logo in the plane. The company did not immediately respond to messages from the Associated Press.
It was not clear how long it would take to remove the plane from the river, but Connor said that the landing gear appeared to be resting on the riverbed, making it unlikely the plane moves away. He added that the crews had begun to work to contain jet fuel leaks almost immediately after ensuring passenger safety.
Liz Torres told the Florida Times-Union that she heard what looked like a gunshot Friday night from her home in Orange Park, about 8 km south of NAS Jacksonville. She then went to the Target parking lot where police and firefighters were preparing to find out more.
"I have never seen anything like it," she said.
The Jacksonville fire and rescue service has posted on Twitter about 90 staff members, indicating that its special operations team had been training with naval units during a similar incident that occurred earlier Friday. The navy 's security and emergency response personnel were also on the scene, the Navy' s statement said.
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Schneider reported from Orlando. Other contributors to the Associated Press include David Fischer in Miami.
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