A plane collided with a fire truck during takeoff at Peru’s busiest airport, killing two firefighters.
A Latam Airlines plane collided with a truck at Jorge Chavez International Airport in the capital Lima just before 15:30 (20:30 GMT) on Friday.
Video posted on social media showed the plane plummeting down the runway, catching fire and smoking as it came to a stop.
The airline said on Twitter that no passengers or flight crew were killed.
According to an executive director of hospital agency EsSalud, a 31-year-old firefighter is in critical condition.
Peru’s health ministry added that 20 passengers were being treated for injuries – two of them in critical condition.
It is still unclear why the fire truck entered the runway as the plane was taking off for the southern Peruvian city of Juliaca.
During a news conference, Latham CEO Manuel Van Oordt said the flight had been cleared for takeoff.
“We don’t know why [the fire truck] was there,” he said. “We did not ask for their services.”
The prosecutor’s office said it was investigating the incident as a possible homicide, according to Reuters.
Lima Airport Partners (LAP) – which operates Jorge Chavez Airport – has suspended flights at the airport until Saturday afternoon.
Because of the land there, international flights are diverted to Colombia, Panama and various cities in Peru, including Aquitos, Pisco and Arequipa.
In a statement, the LAP added: “We are currently exploring and investigating all relevant factors that may determine the cause.”
President Pedro Castillo paid tribute to the firefighters on social media.
“My deepest condolences to the families of Angel Torres and Nicolas Santa Gardia, the brave firefighters who died in the accident,” he wrote on Twitter.
“My thoughts and my prayers are with them. I pray for the recovery of the injured.”
