Peru: Flights Suspended After Airport Crash
All flights were suspended earlier this week after a fatal crash between a truck and an airliner on the the runway at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru.
Two firefighters lost their lives during the incident, when a Latam Airlines jet collided with a fire truck that was doing a pre-planned emergency drill. While no passengers or crew were killed, twenty passengers received medical attention with two of them thought to be serious.
Its is understood that the firefighting team had made all of the necessary arrangements to enter the runway as part of an emergency response drill, yet conflicting reports suggest the flight was cleared for take off, bound for the southern Peruvian city of Juliaca.
Video posted on social media shows the plane careering down the runway, catching fire and smoking as it ground to a halt.
Jorge Chávez International is Peru’s busiest airport and during this period all international flights were diverted to Colombia, Panama and various Peruvian cities including Iquitos, Pisco, and Arequipa.
