Just hours before a Delta Airlines jet met with disaster in Canada, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport had issued a notice about clearing a runway post a weekend blizzard, to ensure the “safely arrive and depart” of flights.
The ill-fated Delta service was en route from Minneapolis on Monday when calamity struck.
Social media footage depicted the aircraft overturned on the tarmac, with passengers scrambling to exit. “Here’s a look at part of our airfield this morning as the clean up continues from this weekend’s storm,” the airport broadcasted on X, mere hours prior to the Monday mishap.
“Our crews worked all weekend to keep the roughly 5 million square meters of airfield clear of snow to keep planes arriving and departing safely.”
All 80 individuals aboard were successfully evacuated, confirmed officials. The crash resulted in injuries to at least 15 people, among them a child, with two suffering critical injuries, as per CTV’s report.
“A number of passengers were taken to local hospitals. GTAA staff are supporting families of passengers at arrivals,” the airport communicated on X. Flight operations recommenced on Monday evening after the incident, reports The Mirror US
The weekend’s snowstorm had left the airport buried under 22cm (nearly 9 inches) of snow. “Today, we’re expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travellers on board around 1,000 flights,” the airport announced on X before the tragedy unfolded.
“Our airfield team has continued their work throughout the night to clear critical areas so planes can safely arrive and depart.”
A harrowing video circulating on social media captures the chaos following a crash, with footage showing a Delta aircraft overturned on the tarmac, engulfed in smoke. A passenger narrates the ordeal: “We’re in Toronto, we just landed, our plane crashed. It’s upside down…most people are going to be okay, we’re all getting off,” they reported.
This incident adds to a spate of recent accidents involving US planes. Last month witnessed a catastrophic collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, claiming 67 lives – marking it as the most tragic air disaster in the US since 2001.
Shortly thereafter, tragedy struck again when a medical transport plane went down in Philadelphia, resulting in the death of all six individuals aboard the Learjet 55 air ambulance, including a young girl undergoing medical treatment. Earlier in the month, a Japan Airlines aircraft clipped the tail of a stationary Delta plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington, fortunately without any injuries.
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