More than 100 killed in Cuban plane crash

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‍More than 100 people were killed in a Boeing 737 passenger plane crash near Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, according to state media.

Three people survived but were pulled from the wreckage with serious injuries.

The aircraft, on a domestic flight to Holguin in eastern Cuba, crashed shortly after taking off from Havana at 12:08 p.m. local time (16:08 GMT), according to media reports.

Authorities said the plane, which was operated by Cubana de Aviacion, was carrying 113 people, including six Mexican crew members.

CGTN Photo

There were no Chinese nationals on board, according to Chinese embassy in Cuba.

The reason for the plane going down was unclear. "During take-off [the plane] apparently suffered a problem and dived to the ground," the Mexican transport department said on its website.

"We should expect that the news will not be good, as there are a high number of people who appear to have been killed," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in broadcast comments.

The country has decreed a two-day period of national mourning.

Reuters Photo

The Boeing 737-201 aircraft was built in 1979 and leased by Cuban airline Cubana de Aviacion from a small Mexican firm Aerolineas Damojh, according to the Mexican government.

The plane had been successfully inspected last November, said authorities.

Boeing Co said in a Twitter post: "We are aware of news reports out of Cuba and are closely monitoring the situation."

A Boeing technical team stands ready to assist as permitted under US law and at the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board and Cuban authorities, said the company.

Reuters Photo

Major air crashes in Cuba

Over the last 30 years, the island has seen four major plane crashes on its territory.

The most recent disaster occurred in April 2017, when an AN-26 military aircraft crashed in the western province of Artemisa, killing eight people on board.

In November 2010, an AeroCaribbean flight crashed when flying on the Santiago de Cuba to Havana route. All 68 people on board were killed, including 40 Cubans and 28 foreigners.

The most serious event happened in September 1989, when a plane bound for Milan, Italy, crashed soon after taking off from Havana. All 115 passengers and 11 crew members, as well as dozens of people in the village where the plane landed, died in the accident.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

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