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More than a dozen people injured after passenger jet catches fire at Florida airport

More than a dozen people have been injured, including one seriously, after a passenger jet caught...
Newstalk
Newstalk

20.02 29 Oct 2015


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More than a dozen people injur...

More than a dozen people injured after passenger jet catches fire at Florida airport

Newstalk
Newstalk

20.02 29 Oct 2015


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More than a dozen people have been injured, including one seriously, after a passenger jet caught fire at a Florida airport.

The Dynamic Airways Boeing 767 was taxiing for takeoff at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport when the fire broke out in the plane's left engine, authorities said.

Passengers were sent scrambling down the aircraft's evacuation slides.

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15 people were taken to hospital, including one person who had serious burns, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said.

Two others suffered less serious injuries. The remaining 12 sustained what Mr Jachles referred to as "walking wounded" injuries, including bumps and contusions.

The fire erupted shortly after 12.30pm local time as the flight carrying 101 passengers and crew was about to depart for Venezuela.

Video captured by a passenger on another flight showed flames and dark smoke billowing from the plane's left side.

WSVN aired a recording of the controller calmly telling the Dynamic Airways pilot that "a lot of fluid" was leaking out of the left engine just moments before the fire broke out.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a team to investigate the blaze.

The airport grounded all flights for about three hours on Thursday before reopening one of two runways.

Dynamic is a small airline that connects Fort Lauderdale, New York, Venezuela and Guyana.


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