Boeing 737 crashes on takeoff from Havana airport, says Cuban state media

An airline passenger jet carrying 113 people has crashed shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 737 went down near the international airport of the capital, Havana.

The jet was said to have crashed near to Havana’s Jose Marti international airport, with a thick column of smoke rising from the scene.

Footage showed the plane lying in a field of yuca-root plants, looking heavily damaged and burnt. Firefighters have been trying to extinguish the smoldering remains.

What we know so far

• Most of those on board are feared dead, with three survivors known to be in a critical condition.
• There were 104 passengers and nine crew members on the plane at the time.
• The cause of the accident remains unclear.
• The plane, a Boeing 737- 200 belonged to the Mexican company Damojh and was being operated on behalf of state airline Cubana.
• The aircraft was on a route from the capital, Havana, to the eastern city of Holguin.

‘High number of victims’

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who rushed to the scene, said many on board were thought to have died. “The news is not very promising, it seems that there is a high number of victims,” Diaz-Canel was quoted as saying after his visit.”

Ambulances were at the site, and took some of those who had survived to hospital

Past issues with air safety

Cubana has withdrawn many of its own planes from service in recent months because of mechanical problems.

Cuba has a poor record on air safety. The most serious to date was in September 1989, when an Ilushin 62 jet operated by Cubana and carrying 126 people crashed after taking off from Havana for Milan, Italy.

Among Cubans, Cubana is notorious for frequent delays and cancellations, a problem the airline blames on a lack of parts and airplanes due to the US trade embargo on Cuba.

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