Delta Airlines Plane Crashes in Toronto In Snowstorm; 18 Injured
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TORONTO, CANADA (Worthy News) – Some 18 people were injured when a Delta Air Lines passenger plane crashed while landing in Toronto, flipping upside down in hazardous conditions in Canada’s most populous city, officials said Monday.
The flight, operated by Delta’s subsidiary Endeavor Air as Delta Connection Flight 4819, had departed from Minneapolis, USA, before landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Video from the scene showed the Delta Air Lines plane belly-up on the snow-covered tarmac and people walking away. “We just landed. Our plane crashed; it’s upside down,” said witness John Nelson, standing near the plane in footage seen by Worthy News.
“Our plane crashed. It’s upside down. Most people appear to be OK. We’re all getting off,” he added.
According to authorities, all 80 people on board were successfully evacuated as emergency services, and police responded swiftly to the scene.
Yet, three people—a child, a man, and a woman in their 60s—were reportedly in critical condition. The adults were airlifted to a nearby trauma center while the child was taken by ambulance to a hospital in downtown Toronto, the capital of Canada’s Ontario province, officials said.
ALL EVACUATED
Authorities explained that twelve others sustained mild to moderate injuries. Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford called the outcome a relief, stating, “There are no casualties,” likely referring to the fact that no fatalities had been reported.
At 4 p.m. local time, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that all 76 passengers and four crew members were safely evacuated.
Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily suspended flights but resumed operations by 5 p.m. local time.
Delta Air Lines acknowledged the crash.
“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident at Toronto-Pearson International Airport,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement. “I want to express my thanks to the many Delta and Endeavor team members and the first responders on site,” Bastian said.
“We are working to confirm the details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please take care and stay safe.”
Endeavor Air is a wholly-owned regional subsidiary of Delta based in Minneapolis.
EIGHTEEN INJURED
A total of 18 people were injured and transported to the hospital, according to Delta.
The airport had previously warned about hazardous conditions due to heavy snowfall, noting that crews worked throughout the weekend to clear runways.
The crash follows several fatal aviation accidents in North America in recent weeks, including in Washington, where a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane, killing 67 people in late January.
Earlier this month, a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia, resulting in seven deaths, while in Alaska, a Bering Air flight went down, killing 10 people.
Authorities said they are investigating whether weather conditions contributed to Monday’s Toronto crash.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it was “deploying a team to investigate” the accident.
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