A Fly Jamaica Airways flight carrying 126 passengers and crew crash-landed at the airport in Guyana’s Capital Georgetown early on Friday, injuring six people. Transportation Minister David Patterson said that the plane, bound for Toronto, encountered a hydraulic problem shortly after takeoff and returned to the airport, but crashed and skidded on the runway, AFP reported.
Patterson said the injuries were not life-threatening, and the wounded have been taken to a hospital near the airport. “They are all stable and are being looked at,” he said at a press conference. “There were no reports of broken bones.”
The 118 passengers on board the Boeing 757-200 aircraft included 82 Canadians.
“We can confirm that Fly Jamaica flight OJ256 bound for Toronto has returned to Georgetown with a technical problem and has suffered an accident on landing,” the airline said in a press release. “At this time, we believe that all 118 passengers and eight crew members are safe. We are providing local assistance and will release further information as soon as it is available.”
Guyanese police and soldiers have secured the crash site for investigation, and the United States National Transportation Safety Board has been alerted, AFP reported.
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