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A Dynamic International Airways commercial passenger plane bound for Caracas, Venezuela, caught fire at a Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport in Florida at 12:32 p.m. EDT (1634 GMT).
It is reported at least fifteen people have been injured and one has been burned. All the victims have been taken to nearby hospital. There were 101 people on board including crew members on the Boeing 767-200ER, which is 29 years old. Only seven such aged planes are now in service out of a total of 65 built during the era.
Most of the injuries were due to bumps and bruises. One child was among those has deep wounds. He is being treated at the Broward Health Medical Center.
TV footage showed thick gray smoke coming out from the plane surrounded by the trucks of firefighters who were trying to extinguish the fire with foam.
According to officials, the Broward County Fire Department responded to the scene within two minutes after the incidence.
The airport was closed for about three hours after the incidence. All the inbound flights were diverted. Currently it has reopened and is fully functional.
A 71-year-old traveler Luis Campana said the scene of incident was a real scare when the engine exploded.
Campana was traveling to Venezuela’s Guarico with his wife and sister. He added, “As we were getting out of the plane down the chute, the smoke was beginning to enter and the engine was in flames.”
The aircraft was built in 1986 and was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines.
