Multiple people are injured after a Delta Air Lines plane flipped upside down while landing amid wintry conditions Monday at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration says 80 people were aboard Flight 4819, which originated from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
According to Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport, the plane was carrying four crew and 76 passengers, among them, 22 Canadians. The other passengers were multinational.
“Airport emergency workers mounted a textbook response, reaching the site within minutes and quickly evacuating the passengers,” Flint said during a news conference Monday night.
Officials say at least 17 passengers have been taken to local area hospitals. Peel Regional Paramedic Services confirmed to CBS News that out of those injuries, one child and two adults are critically injured. The rest of the injuries are minor to moderate, officials said.
The critically wounded adults — a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s — were airlifted to the hospital, according to air ambulance service officials.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed it is deploying a team to investigate the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA say they will send U.S. investigators to assist the TSB in its investigation.
Flint says two runways at the airport will be closed for at least part of the day Tuesday for the investigation, and travelers should expect delays.
Delta Air Lines later released more information, saying the single-aircraft accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. CST. Four of the people on board were crew members. Delta says all of its remaining flights on Monday going in and out of Pearson are canceled.
“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA issued the following statement: “AFA crew were working this flight. Reports are there are no fatalities. Please do not speculate on this incident as everyone works to gather information and support those involved.”
