US: Boeing-737 with 136 passengers skids off, goes into river
A Boeing 737 commercial plane with as many as 136 passengers on board skidded off the runway after landing in Jacksonville in the US's Florida and slid into the St. John's River. The flight, which was coming to Jacksonville from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, went into the river at the runway end. A spokesman for the Naval Air Station Jacksonville confirmed the incident. Here's more.
All passengers on board alive and accounted for: Jacksonville Mayor
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted that all passengers on board the plane were alive and accounted for, adding crews were "working to control jet fuel on the water." He also tweeted that the White House has called "to help as the situation was developing." "The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for," tweeted the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Here's what the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office tweeted
Plane belongs to Miami Air International
The tweet by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office shows that the commercial plane belongs to Miami Air International. It is a charter airline that operates a fleet of Boeing 737-800 planes. The airline is yet to comment on the incident.
21 people injured in the incident, says Jacksonville's local WOKV-TV
While the officials said there were no fatalities, Jacksonville's local WOKV-TV reported that at least two people suffered minor injuries, adding that the plane attempted to land during a heavy thunderstorm. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department was quoted as saying that 21 people were transported to nearby hospitals; nobody had critical injuries. Some minor injuries were treated at the scene, reported NAS Jacksonville.
Plane made 'really hard landing' in Jacksonville, says passenger
One of the passengers on board, attorney Cheryl Bormann told CNN that the plane made a "really hard landing" in Jacksonville "amid thunder and lightning," adding it was "terrifying". "...It was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane. We were in the water, we couldn't tell where we were, whether it was a river or an ocean," she added.
