Several witnesses of the deadly accident shared with Sputnik Mundo how they felt as they saw the plane crash:
"I never imagined seeing something like that, I could see the blue fuselage of the plane that was flying very low, almost touching the trees and I saw how it maneuvered to get out of the houses and the school," said Vivian, a resident of the area, known as Alturas del Aeropuerto, which is about 20 kilometers from Havana.
Footage of the ambulances carrying victims from the plane crash in La Habana, Cuba, to hospitals in the city. pic.twitter.com/cBWcFzoNkc
— Guido Mastrangelo (@GuidoGma) 18 мая 2018 г.
Another witness told Sputnik he was crushed when he realized how many people were inside the plane.
"The glow of fire was felt through the clothes. I saw the column of smoke rising and I felt sad to think how many people would be inside that plane," said Lazaro Pérez, custodian of several state warehouses near the agricultural fields, where the Boeing 737 aircraft fell.
#Video: El momento en que explota el #avión cubano accidentado. #LaHabana #CubaAccidente #Boeing737 pic.twitter.com/xHiS10eVeg
— Mario Morínigo Moray (@mmmoray) 19 мая 2018 г.
There also was a scared teenager in the area that refused to comment on the incident, having abandoned his bicycle near the crash site, escaping from the flames and rumble.
READ MORE: Boeing 737 Crashed After Takeoff From Airport in Cuba — Reports (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
A representative of the National Assembly of People’s Power in the area reported no damage or human casualties on the ground and thanked local residents for their help in the search and rescue for crash survivors.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced that the country’s government had set up a commission to investigate the causes of the accident.
El presidente cubano, Miguel Diaz-Canel, se personó en el lugar del accidente minutos después del desplome de la aeronave. #Cuba #Boeing737 pic.twitter.com/yf6ImjJiG2
— CubanitoenCuba (@CubanitoenCuba) 19 мая 2018 г.