LIMA, Nov 18 (Portal) – A LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN) jet collided with a fire engine on the runway at Peru’s Jorge Chavez International Airport as it took off on Friday, the airline said, resulting in the deaths of two firefighters led.
No passengers or flight crew members were killed in the incident, the airline said.
It remains unclear why the fire truck pulled onto the runway as the plane took off, and prosecutors said they were investigating the incident as a possible homicide.
A video posted to social media showed the jet colliding with the fire truck as it hurtled down the runway, then quickly caught fire and was smoking heavily as it came to a halt.
Lima Airport Partners, which operates Jorge Chavez in Lima, the country’s main airport, said the airport will remain closed at least until 1 p.m. local time on Saturday.
The flight was LA2213 and covered the Lima-Juliaca domestic route, LATAM Airlines said.
This is the second incident in less than a month involving LATAM Airlines after the nose of one of its planes was destroyed during a severe storm that forced it to make an emergency landing.
Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, additional reporting by Fabian Cambero in Santiago, Marcelo Rochabrun in Lima and Carolina Pulice in Mexico City; Editing by Anthony Esposito, Rosalba O’Brien and Matthew Lewis
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