Photo: Jax Sheriff’s Office/Twitter
The passenger plane from Guantanamo Bay had just arrived at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station when it skidded off the runway and into the St. Johns River at 9:40 p.m., the air station confirmed.
Despite the scary circumstances, the plane “was not submerged” due to the “shallow water,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office tweeted.
Miraculously all 143 people on board survived after the plane’s rough landing.
Curry then confirmed that all passengers were “alive and accounted for,” and that no fatalities were reported.
While everyone made it out alive, 21 people were taken to hospitals, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department confirmed.
“We responded to NAS Jax to a plane incident tonight with a second alarm assignment of approximately 90 personnel,” the department tweeted. “21 people were transported to local hospitals.”
In addition to writing that an investigation was underway into how the incident happened, the Naval Air Station Jacksonville detailed a full account of the event.
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“At approximately 9:40 p.m. today, a Boeing 737 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba into Naval Air Station Jacksonville slid off the runway into the St. Johns River,” the air station confirmed. “There were 136 passengers and seven aircrew on board and all have been accounted for. Minor injuries have been reported, treated at the scene, and those requiring additional treatment were transported to a local hospital. There were no fatalities.”
The air station also added that, just after midnight on Saturday morning, that Navy security and emergency response personnel were still “on the scene and monitoring the situation.”
The plane while a Boeing 737, is not believed to be a Boeing 737 Max. The 737 Max planes have been grounded in the wake of two fatal accidents in just five months.
source: people.com
