Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied Jadallah characterized the incident involving the Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport as a “very complex situation.” Emergency crews were engaged in multiple critical tasks, including rescuing individuals trapped in the wreckage, combating a significant fire that erupted from the aircraft, and managing an ongoing fuel leak that posed additional hazards following the crash.
Jadallah said nearly 200 fire rescue personnel responded after the aircraft struck multiple vehicles on the ground, trapping some victims inside.
“As you may have seen or may have heard, the airplane did strike a couple of vehicles that required a couple of victims that were actually trapped in the vehicles,” Jadallah said. Officials said the aircraft also struck vehicles on the ground, creating additional rescue challenges. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said emergency teams reached the crash site within seconds. “We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said.
“A complex extrication with our technical rescue team started to occur. He added that firefighters also conducted a search-and-rescue operation to remove the pilot and co-pilot from the aircraft while fighting intense flames. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews arrived to find the plane engulfed in flames with heavy smoke coming from the wreckage.
