PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Cuban Airplane Crashes Shortly After Take-Off From Havana Airport

Picture taken at the scene of the accident after a Cubana de Aviacion aircraft crashed after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.
ALBERTO ROQUE AFP/Getty Images
Picture taken at the scene of the accident after a Cubana de Aviacion aircraft crashed after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.

Cuban state media reported that a Boeing 737 on a domestic flight crashed in a rural area Friday afternoon shortly after takeoff from Havana's José Martí International Airport.

There were reportedly 104 passengers plus crew aboard the plane that was leased by Cubana de Aviación, the Cuban national airline, from a Mexican company. At least three survivors were transported to a nearby hospital. Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, reported the three were in critical condition.

There were no immediate reports on casualties but The Associated Press reported that residents of the rural area where the plane crashed soon after take-off said they had seen some survivors being transported in ambulances.

Read more from our news partner, The Miami Herald

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit .

Mimi Whitefield