New Delhi: An aircraft carrying 126 passengers caught fire after its landing gear collapsed on the runway at Miami International Airport on Tuesday. Three passengers suffered minor injuries and were immediately rushed to the hospital, according to the Associated Press. The Red Air flight, arriving from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, ripped through a small building and a communications tower while skidding on its belly across the tarmac before bursting into flames.
Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman, Greg Chin, told The Associated Press that the fire was caused due to the failure of the landing gear on the Red Air flight.
Videos shared online showed flames and smoke billowing out from one of the wings of the aircraft. Another video showed fire officials on the tarmac battling the flames as terrified passengers fled.
The plane had landed on the grassed area beside the runway. At least three firefighting vehicles were on the spot, spraying chemicals on the aircraft to douse the fire and mitigate fuel spillage.
According to an Independent report, the plane was arriving from Santo Domingo around 5:30 pm when the incident took place. Some flights were delayed due to the fire, airport officials said.
A passenger who spoke to CBS Miami said panic was quickly replaced by reassurance as he saw fire crews at work. "Panic, almost panic, it was a terrible experience, actually, but like I said I feel safe. It happened like one minute and then you could see all the officers through the window doing their jobs," the passenger said.