A Boeing 737 jetliner crashed during landing at a Colombian island early Monday. The plane broke into three pieces during the crash, but only one passenger was killed.
An investigation is underway into the cause of the accident and whether or not the plan had been struck by lightning prior to the crash. The crash happened at 1:49 am local time (3:49 am EDT) on San Andreas Island. Out of the 125 passengers and 6 crew members on board, eight were U.S. citizens. None have been identified at this time except for the deceased passenger, Amar Fernandez de Barreto. preliminary indications are that she suffered a heart attack that led to her death.
Passengers reported that the plane seem to be landing normally during its descent. Then it hit the runway on its belly unexpectedly, which damaged the fuselage. The plane split into several pieces and landed on one end of the runway. As passengers scrambled for safety, firefighters quickly extinguished the fire that had erupted on the wing.
Ninenty-nine passengers were taken to the hospital, but only four had major injuries. Hospital director Dr. Robert Sanchez was noted as saying that it was amazing, given the size of the accident, there were not more severe injuries.
Although the cause is unknown, it was reported that the pilot’s skills had prevented the jet from crashing into the airport.
