A cargo plane carrying mail and packages on Thursday skidded off the runway and broke in two during an emergency landing in Costa Rica, causing the temporary closure of the international airport near San Jose.
Smoke was billowing from the bright yellow plane of German logistics giant DHL as it ground to a halt, having slid off the runway when it spun and broke up around the rear wheels.
Two crew members aboard were “in good health,” Costa Rican Fire Department Director Hector Chaves said.
Photo: AFP
Nonetheless, the Guatemalan pair were sent to hospital as a precaution “for a medical check-up,” said Guido Vasquez, a Red Cross worker.
The pilot was shaken up, but both crew were conscious and “remember everything vividly,” Vasquez added.
The accident happened just before 10:30am after the Boeing-757 plane, which had taken off from the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside San Jose, was forced to return 25 minutes later for an emergency landing due to a mechanical failure.
The crew had reportedly alerted local authorities to a hydraulic problem.
The accident caused operations to shut down at the country’s biggest airport until around 5:30pm, affecting hundreds of flights and more than 8,000 passengers.
Activities have returned to normal, “as well for the arrivals as for the departures,” said Ricardo Hernandez, general manager of Aeris, the public company which manages the airport.
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