Plane crashes in Havana, Cuba, with 104 passengers on board
Published:Friday | May 18, 2018 | 1:06 PM
HAVANA -- A Boeing 737 operated by state airline Cubana crashed on takeoff from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana on Friday with 104 people on board.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
The plane was headed to the eastern city of Holguin and crashed between the airport in southern Havana and the nearby town of Santiago de las Vegas, state television and websites said.
The wreckage of the plane lay in a farm field and appeared heavily damaged and burned, with firefighters spraying water on its smouldering remains.
Government officials including President Miguel Diaz-Canel rushed to the site, along with a large number of emergency medical workers and ambulances.
Residents of the rural area said they had seen some survivors being taken away in ambulances.
The plane was rented by Cubana, which has taken many of its aging planes out of service in recent months due to mechanical problems.
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