Two people were killed and dozens injured late Sunday night when an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said the flight’s captain and first officer were killed, and 41 others were hospitalized for injuries. Thirty-nine of those injured were on the aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900, and two were on the firefighting vehicle.
According to the Associated Press, most have been released after treatment.
The identities of the two pilots have not been made public. A Port Authority official cited by CBS News said both were based in Canada.
The flight was operated by Jazz Aviation and had 72 passengers and four crew on board, Air Canada said. It was arriving at LaGuardia from Montreal.
In a statement, the airline offered condolences to the families of those killed and said a team is being sent to New York to assist in the coming investigation. Officials said they will continue to release more information as it becomes available, and posted phone numbers for concerned relatives to call.
The FAA said the collision took place at 11:40 p.m. local time as the CRJ-900 landed on Runway 4.
Photographs of the scene shared by the AP showed the jet on the runway with its nose badly mangled.
According to the outlet, the fire truck was traveling across the runway to reach a United flight that reported a problem with an “odor.” Further details about that call for assistance were not immediately available.
LaGuardia is closed and will remain so until at least 2 p.m. Monday, the FAA said. Many flights are being diverted to nearby airports, including JFK and Newark Liberty in New Jersey.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident, with the NTSB taking the lead.
This is a developing story.
