Dramatic Footage Captures Moment Truck Collided With LATAM Flight During Takeoff in Peru
00:05 GMT 19.11.2022 (Updated: 00:09 GMT 19.11.2022)
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The flight had been departing the Peruvian capital of Lima for the South American country's southeastern city of Juliaca. Two deaths were reported among the airports firefighting personnel.
A LATAM airlines flight came to an abrupt fiery halt in Lima, Peru, on Friday after a fire truck collided with the plane as it was preparing to take off from the runway.
A statement released by the airline indicated there had been no fatalities among the boarded passengers and flight staff; however, it was later confirmed by the company that the two individuals who were inside the crashed vehicle were killed.
It's unclear what case the firefighters had been responding to or what failures occurred that allowed the vehicle to comes so close to the plane as it was taxiing for takeoff.
Footage of the incident has surfaced on social media, showing varying vantage points of the accident from within the airport and on the tarmac.
LATAM Airlines A320neo has been hit by a vehicle crossing the runway while taking off from Lima Airport in Peru. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/oPchYx7nbM
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) November 18, 2022
Así fue momento en que ocurrió el choque del avión de #LATAM con un camión en el aeropuerto de #Lima, #Perú. pic.twitter.com/Fpx0zb6ZGE
— 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙮 (@Mario_Moray) November 18, 2022
One photo released by passenger Enrique Varsi-Rospigliosi appeared to show the aftermath of the collision, with the LATAM aircraft leaning on its right wing and doused in fire retardant spray.
Cuando la vida te da una segunda oportunidad #latam pic.twitter.com/Vd98Zu98Uo
— Enrique Varsi-Rospigliosi (@enriquevarsi) November 18, 2022
Additional videos offered a closer look at the damages sustained as passengers were led away from the scene.
Así quedó el avión de #LATAM luego de chocar con un camión en el #Aeropuerto de #Lima, #Perú. pic.twitter.com/nvhEOSx9KP
— 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙮 (@Mario_Moray) November 18, 2022
Flights bound for the Jorge Chavez International Airport were ultimately diverted to nearby airports as officials began to assess the situation. The Lima Airport Partners stated that operations at the airport would be temporarily suspended until 1 p.m. local time on Saturday.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. The prosecutor's office has indicated it is also looking into whether the case will take a possible murder or bodily injury angle.
