A passenger plane crashed in Cuba: there were about a hundred passengers on board and there were survivors. Mourning in Cuba: why Boeing crashed The plane crashed on May 18

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has already expressed his condolences in connection with the plane crash in Havana. He sent a telegram to the Chairman of the State Council and Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, the Kremlin press service reported. “The head of the Russian state conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to those who managed to survive this disaster,” the telegram says. Let us remind you that only two managed to survive.

The Boeing 737 is the most popular passenger aircraft in the history of the passenger aircraft industry. In March of this year, the ten-thousandth aircraft of this manufacturer was put into operation. The model has been produced since 1967. On average, there are an average of 1,200 aircraft in the air at any given time and one Boeing 737 takes off and lands every five seconds around the world.

According to updated data, the plane crashed into agricultural fields between the José Martí airport and the Havana suburb of Santiago de las Vegas.

One of the survivors of the crash passenger Boeing in Cuba died of burns in a Havana hospital, Reuters reports, citing a hospital representative. Two other survivors are in serious condition.

The city of Holguin, where the plane was heading, is located near the famous beach resorts, the largest of which is Guardalavaca. Holguin is the fourth largest city in Cuba. The toponym has nothing to do with the popular Russian name: the city and the province are named after the discoverer of this part of the island, the Spanish captain Garcia Holguin.

The plane was leased by Cubana de Aviación to the carrier Global, writes the Cuban newspaper Granma. There were a total of 105 people on board, including passengers and crew. There were six children among the passengers, two of them under two years old.

Boeing-737, castaway in Cuba, operated for 26 years. Over the years he has flown thousands of miles. Information about the technical condition of the aircraft in last years and directly on the day of the crash on this moment No.

Eyewitnesses to the plane crash share details of the incident. “A second and we saw a large fireball, and then clouds of smoke spreading tens of meters above the crashed plane. The plane crashed so close to the airport that everything was visible from the windows,” said a local resident.

The preliminary version of the crash of a passenger Boeing 737 in Cuba is considered to be a technical malfunction, local media report.

The three survivors of the plane crash are hospitalized in critical condition. This was reported by AFP with reference to state media.

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) called it unlikely that there could have been Russians on board the plane that crashed in Cuba.

“Large tour operators do not take tourists from Havana to Holguin, although there are niche companies. The likelihood that there could be Russians on board the plane is very low,” a representative of the association told Interfax.

Declared official mourning in the country for the next two days due to the plane crash that occurred on the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 plane crashed just after takeoff from international airport named after Jose Marti. There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board the plane. According to the flight engineer, the cause of the plane crash could have been a technical failure.

Cuba's Council of State declared official mourning in the country for the next two days due to a plane crash that occurred on the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 plane crashed immediately after takeoff from José Martí International Airport, FAN reports.

There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board the plane (110 people in total). Flight DMJ 0972 was heading from Havana to the province of Holguin, Cuba Debate reports.

According to Cuban media, the plane was leased by Cubana de Aviación from the Mexican airline Damojh and was piloted by a foreign crew. It is known that one of the women who survived the crash died in hospital. The other two victims are in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Witnesses said the plane turned around to return to the airport before crashing and crashed into power lines.

As noted, the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall. The first images from the crash site of a passenger airliner have appeared on the Internet. The video captures the first images after the disaster. The footage shows a column of black smoke rising from the crash site near the runway at Havana airport.

There were no Russian citizens on board the plane that crashed near Havana, NSN reports with reference to the Russian Embassy in Cuba. It is known that among the dead were two Argentine citizens.

“The Ministry regrets to announce that two Argentine citizens died today in Havana in a commercial plane crash. passenger plane crashed on takeoff from the airport,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The flight engineer who served the flight, which took off several minutes earlier than the plane that crashed on Friday near Havana, believes that the cause of the plane crash could have been a technical failure, RIA Novosti reports.

“Today (Friday), at about 11 am, we, members of the two crews, met in the service area of ​​the terminal (Havana airport) to have lunch and exchange a few words before the flight.

We won’t meet again like this - apparently due to a technical failure that occurred in the aircraft,” the specialist said.

“I know you must be in a lot of pain. Imagine the pain I feel, a flight engineer with 17 years of experience, a colleague and friend of the crew members of the (crash) Boeing 737-200. 13 minutes before his fall, our crew, operating another domestic flight of Cubana Airlines, flew to the province of Santiago de Cuba. We communicated with them via radio while taxiing to the runway...” explained the flight engineer.

Sergey Orlov, Vladimir Smirnov

A Boeing 737-200 passenger plane of the Cuban airline Cubana de Aviacion, performing a domestic flight from Havana to the province of Holguin, crashed during takeoff. There were more than 100 people on board the aircraft. It is reported that the airliner was leased from the Mexican airline Damojh and was flown by a foreign crew. The Chairman of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, arrived at the scene of the disaster and announced a large number of victims of the tragedy. At the same time, there is no official information on the number of dead and wounded.

• Adalberto Roque

On Friday, May 18, a Boeing 737 plane of the Cuban airline Cubana de Aviacion crashed during takeoff at Havana airport. The plane crashed minutes after taking off from Havana's José Martí International Airport. Cuban authorities have already confirmed the crash.

“At 12:08 p.m., a Boeing 737-200, leased by Cubana de Aviacion, with a foreign crew and 104 passengers on board, flying from Havana to Holguin on flight DMJ 0972, crashed to the ground at the moment of takeoff,” the official press organ of the Central Committee reported. Communist Party of Cuba - newspaper Granma.

It is noted that the plane crashed between José Martí Airport and populated area Santiago de las Vegas. Emergency services are at the scene.

The Cubanet portal clarifies that the crashed plane belonged to the Mexican airline Damojh.

There are no official data on the number of victims of the disaster yet. Media reported that more than a hundred people were on board the aircraft. Thus, according to the Infobae website, there were 104 people on board the crashed Cuban Boeing. The publication Cibercuba, citing Gabriel Silva, a journalist for the Cuban radio Radio Rebelde, writes that there were 107 people on board, not counting the crew members, RIA Novosti notes.

Before official confirmation was received that the Boeing 737's destination was an airport in the Cuban province of Holguin in the east of the island, information appeared that the plane was operating an international flight. At the same time, CNN reported that Boeing could be heading to Guyana.

The Chairman of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, arrived at the crash site. Even before arriving at the scene, the head of Cuba announced a “large number” of victims of the disaster at Havana airport.

“There was an unfortunate air incident. The news is not encouraging, the number of victims is probably high,” AFP quotes Díaz-Canel.

At the same time, witnesses to the Boeing 737 crash reported survivors who were transported in ambulances, The Associated Press reports.

It is not yet known whether there are foreigners among the dead. This information is clarified by the emergency services of the Republic of Cuba, as well as consular departments. Thus, the secretary of the Russian Embassy in Cuba, Nadezhda Sergieva, said that the diplomatic mission is in constant contact with the country’s authorities to find out whether there were Russians on board the crashed airliner.

“There are no details yet. Diplomats are in constant contact with the Cuban competent authorities, finding out the circumstances of the incident - whether there were people on board Russian citizens“,” RIA Novosti quotes her as saying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to the Cuban leader in connection with the plane crash at Havana airport. The Kremlin press service reported this.

“The head of the Russian state conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to those who managed to survive this disaster,” the message says.

Cuban authorities clarified that the incident did not lead to disruption of the Havana José Martí Airport. According to the head of the Corporation civil aviation Cuba Roberto Pena Sampera, the airport continues to operate.

In turn, representatives of Boeing reported that they are monitoring the situation in connection with the plane crash in Cuba.

MEXICO CITY, May 19- RIA News. More than a hundred people were killed when a Boeing 737-200 crashed in Cuba on Friday shortly after the plane took off from Havana airport.

According to the Mexican company Global Air, from which Cubana de Aviacion leased the plane, there were 110 people on board, including 104 passengers and six crew members. Among the passengers of the crashed plane were five foreigners, the rest were Cubans, and the crew was from Mexico. According to the embassy, ​​there were no Russian citizens on board. Later it became known that two Argentines were killed.

The airliner, flying from Havana to Holguin, crashed shortly after takeoff, crashing between the José Martí airport and the Havana suburb of Santiago de las Vegas, in an area of ​​agricultural land.

There are survivors

Shortly after the crash, local media reported that there were four survivors of the plane crash. The three surviving women were taken to the intensive care unit of Havana's Calixto Garcia Hospital in serious condition; the man died on the way to the hospital. Later, Cuba TV reported the death of one of the women, but then denied this information.

The victims have multiple fractures, hematomas and burns; they are being treated by resuscitators, surgeons, neurologists, orthopedists and other specialists.

According to the Ministry of Transport of Mexico, the plane was 39 years old, it was produced in 1979, but had all the necessary permits to operate.

Chairman of the State Council and Council of Ministers of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel said that an investigation into the circumstances of the crash would be conducted and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The black boxes have not yet been found.

All terminals at Havana José Martí Airport continue to operate.

© Ruptly

Eyewitness accounts

Eyewitnesses told Cuban TV that the plane was trying to return to the airport after takeoff but crashed into power lines. Witnesses also reported that the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall.

The crash was the first for Cubana de Aviacion since 1999, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) portal, which tracks aviation accidents.

International reaction

Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of condolences to Diaz-Canel. “The head of the Russian state conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to those who managed to survive this disaster,” the telegram says.

Condolences were sent by Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, and France. Boeing Company also expressed condolences to the loved ones of the passengers and crew of the crashed plane, as well as its readiness to provide the necessary technical assistance.

As RIA Novosti was told in the press service of the State Department, the United States is studying information about the crash of the Boeing-737 plane in Cuba and is finding out whether there were American citizens on board. Canada said it is working to obtain additional information and, if necessary, is ready to provide consular assistance to Canadian citizens.

The Cuban authorities declared mourning in connection with the plane crash.

In Cuba, they are investigating the reasons for the crash of the Boeing 737. The night before, it crashed almost immediately after takeoff from Havana airport. At this moment it is known that there were 110 people on board, only three women managed to survive, but they are in extremely serious condition. According to the latest data, there are no Russians among the victims of the plane crash.

These shots were taken in the first seconds after the tragedy. Visitors and staff at José Martí Airport look on in horror as flames and a giant column of smoke rise just a few kilometers from the runway.

“We were checking in when we heard the sound of an explosion. At that moment, the lights in the hall went out, we looked out into the street and saw clouds of black smoke. Then they told us that it was a plane that crashed,” said Brian Oranbueno.

The 39-year-old Boeing 737 that crashed was operated by Cuban national carrier Cubana de Aviación, which leased the plane from Mexico's Global Air. At noon local time, the plane took off from the capital's José Martí airport to the city of Holguin in the east of the country. Minutes later, it became known that the Boeing had crashed in the countryside near the Havana suburb of Santiago de las Vegas.

Eyewitnesses said that immediately after takeoff, the plane turned towards the airport and allegedly began to land, but crashed into a power line support. None of the residential buildings were damaged.

“He was flying low, as if he couldn’t gain altitude. Then he began to turn back. And at that moment, his wing touched the wires and immediately fell to the ground,” said the eyewitness.

According to the latest data, there were 104 passengers on board the plane, including five children, and a crew of six people. Only four managed to survive. However, one of them, a man, subsequently died in hospital. Three more women - with burns and fractures - remain in extremely serious condition.

"We are doing everything possible. Now it’s difficult to say anything more specific - the injuries of the victims are very serious,” said the head physician of the hospital, Carlos Alberto Martinez Blanco.

A few hours after the disaster, it turned out that two Argentine citizens were among the dead. Before this, it was reported that the only foreigners were Mexicans - the crew of the ship.

Our embassy in Havana reported that no Russians were on this flight.

“Immediately after receiving information about the disaster, Russian diplomats went to Havana José Marti Airport. According to the latest data received from official Cuban authorities, there were no Russian citizens on board the plane,” said Nadezhda Sergieva, spokeswoman for the Russian Consulate General in Cuba.

Search work in the area where the Boeing crashed does not stop, despite the onset of darkness. Teams of doctors and rescuers, who, according to eyewitnesses, arrived at the scene just 12 minutes after the tragedy, continue to search for the remains of the victims of the disaster and collect the wreckage of the airliner. At the airport itself, psychologists provide assistance to relatives of the victims who lost their loved ones overnight.

At this moment the most probable cause accident is considered a technical malfunction. The Cuban authorities cannot yet report anything more specific - the “black boxes” have not yet been found.

“On behalf of the government and the party, I express my deep condolences to the families and friends of those killed in this terrible disaster. We do whatever is necessary in such situations. Doctors began identifying the remains of the victims, and an investigation into the causes of the incident began. As soon as we can find out something, we will report it,” said Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, Chairman of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba.

In connection with the tragedy, two days of mourning have been declared in Cuba. My condolences to the government and to the Cuban people expressed by the leaders of dozens of countries. President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram with words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to those who survived the disaster.