A Delta Air Lines aircraft flipped upside down during a wintry landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, injuring at least eighteen persons, according to authorities.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Flight 4819, which took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, carried 80 passengers.
Deborah Flint, president and chief executive officer of Toronto Pearson International Airport, stated that the aircraft was carrying 76 passengers, including 22 Canadians, and four staff members. Multinationals made up the other passengers.
During a press conference on Monday evening, Flint stated, “Airport emergency personnel executed a model response, arriving at the scene in a matter of minutes and promptly evacuating the passengers.”
17 passengers had been sent to nearby hospitals, she added.
Two adults and one child were initially deemed to be in critical condition by Peel Regional Paramedic Services. A pediatric child that the Hospital for Sick Children received is now doing well. According to officials, the remaining injuries are minor to moderate.
Officials from the air ambulance service said that the critically injured individuals, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s, were evacuated to the hospital.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board announced that a team will be sent out to look into the accident. According to the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board, U.S. investigators will be sent to support the TSB’s probe.
Todd Aitken, the fire chief at Toronto Pearson International Airport, stated on Monday night that there were no crosswinds and the runway was dry at the time of the collision.
According to Flint, passengers can anticipate delays as the airport’s two runways will be blocked for the investigation for at least a portion of Tuesday.
Later, Delta Air Lines provided additional details, stating that the single-aircraft mishap happened at approximately 1:15 p.m. CST. There were four crew members on board. According to Delta, all of its remaining flights into and out of Pearson on Monday have been canceled.
The CEO of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian, stated, “The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident,”
“AFA crew were working this flight,” the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a statement. There are reportedly no fatalities. As everyone tries to learn more and assist those impacted, kindly refrain from speculating about this incident.”
It is “relieved” that there are no casualties, according to Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed,” Ford stated.
According to meteorologists, there was blowing snow in Toronto at the time of the incident, visibility was only six miles, and winds were 20 mph with gusts as high as 37 mph. The temperature was 17°F, significantly below freezing.
