More than 100 people have died after a Boeing 737 airliner crashed near Cuba’s main airport in Havana on early Friday evening.
A Cubana de Aviacion Boeing 737-200 crashed on takeoff from Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport, was headed to the eastern Cuban city of Holguin. Flight DMJ 0972 plummeted into in an agricultural area in the Santiago de las Vegas neighborhood at 12:08 p.m.
Three women were pulled alive from the wreckage, but are said to be in a critical condition.
The plane, which was nearly 40 years old, was carrying 104 passengers and six crew members.
Orestes Bentancour, who lives near the crash site, told CNN that he was drawn out of his home by the “enormous noise” the plane made on takeoff. He said the plane appeared to swerve to one side and revved its engines before crashing.
Five crew members on board were Mexican nationals, according to Mexico’s Civil Aviation Authority. Global Airline, which operated the flight, said there were six crew members, all Mexican nationals.
The charter flight “suffered a failure” and crashed about six miles from the airport.
Cuban State TV announced two days of mourning, during which flags will fly at half-staff.
