Two people were killed Friday after a plane struck a firetruck while taking off in Lima, Peru.
The Latam Airlines plane hit the truck Friday afternoon at Jorge Chávez International Airport, according to the BBC.
In addition to the two firefighters who were killed, a third was reported in critical condition.
Peru’s Health Ministry said 20 passengers were treated for injuries, with two considered to be seriously hurt.
Video of the incident was posted on social media, including one video taken from inside the plane.
Video suggests that multiple airport fire service vehicles crossed the active runway 16 immediately before the accelerating A320. One truck collided with the right engine+ wing resulting in a fire and a gear collapse. pic.twitter.com/1hvom3HYSg
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) November 18, 2022
Passenger video captures the moment LATAM flight LA2213 collided with a fire truck on takeoff from Lima Airport in Peru yesterday. https://t.co/kJ7SCufDVw pic.twitter.com/vL7H4p4EKn
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) November 19, 2022
UPDATE #LA2213: There were 102 passengers and 6 crewmembers on board. 4 passengers suffered serious, 36 minor injuries. Two firemen aboard the truck died, a third is in critical condition. This accident also marks the 1st ever hull loss of an Airbus A320Neo. https://t.co/H4OwkCNk83 pic.twitter.com/tf8rxE51UZ
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) November 19, 2022
“Everyone in the departure lounge was apprehensive until we saw the plane stopped, and then the fire engines and ambulances arrived,” said Mauro Ferreira, who was waiting for a flight, according to Reuters.
“It was a harrowing feeling because we didn’t know how many people were inside the plane and the flames were very tall,” he said.
The airline said no passengers or crew members were killed. There were 102 passengers and six crew members on the Airbus A320neo, according to CBS.
It was unclear why the firetruck was on the runway.
“We didn’t ask for their services,”Latam CEO Manuel Van Oordt said, according to the BBC, adding that the flight was cleared for take-off.
Latest reports say that the airport vehicle was an emergency service fire truck attending to a different incident on the airport. pic.twitter.com/x8tePtouEL
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) November 18, 2022
“No emergency was reported on the flight. It was a flight that was in optimal conditions to take off. It had authorization to take off, and it encountered a truck on the runway, and we don’t know what the truck was doing there,” Van Oordt said, according to CBS. “We have to investigate and establish why it was there.”
Reuters reported that prosecutors were investigating the incident as potential manslaughter.
Flights in and out of the airport were suspended until Saturday.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
