LATAM plane collides with vehicle at Peru airport; leaves two firefighters dead

A LATAM Airlines plane collided with a vehicle on the runway of Peru’s Jorge Chávez International Airport on Friday as it was taking off, the company said, killing two firefighters who were on the ground.

No fatalities among the 102 passengers and six crew members were reported from the incident, LATAM Airlines said in a statement. As a precaution, all were sent to care centers, the company added.

“At the time that (the plane) was on the takeoff runway, it collided with a vehicle from the airport fire brigade, as a result of which two firefighters died,” said the commander of the fire brigade, Luis Ponce, to the local television station Canal N.

A third firefighter from the vehicle was injured, it added.

The Health Ministry said 61 passengers were transferred to nearby clinics and hospitals. “Of the total number of passengers, none have been seriously injured,” he added.

LATAM Airlines reported that the fire unit had entered the runway when the plane was taking off, causing the units to collide.

It was not clear why the fire vehicle entered the runway at that moment. The prosecution said it is investigating the incident as a possible manslaughter.

A video posted on social media showed the passenger plane colliding with the vehicle as the plane hurtled down the runway. Then it partially caught fire and the firefighters managed to put out the fire with chemical foam. One of the wings of the plane was split.

Lima Airport Partners, which operates the Jorge Chávez airport in Lima, the country’s largest, had previously reported that all the passengers were unharmed.

Flight LA2213, which was involved in the accident, was going to cover the domestic Lima-Juliaca route, LATAM Airlines said.

Meanwhile, all operations at the Lima airport were suspended until 1:00 p.m. local time (18000 GMT) on Saturday, Lima Airport Partners said.