‘High number’ of victims feared after plane crashes in Cuba

Numerous victims are feared after a plane crashed moments after taking off from Cuba‘s José Martí International Airport on Friday.

The plane, reportedly a Boeing 737, was carrying 104 passengers and was a domestic flight going to Holguin from Havana, Cuba’s state TV reported.

“It crashed between the locality of Boyeros and the village of Santiago de La Vegas,” state-run TV said in its midday news broadcast, referring to an area about 20 kilometres south of Havana.

A Havana airport employee confirmed to The Associated Press that airport workers have been alerted about the incident.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said there is a “high number” of victims, Agence France-Presse reported.

It’s unclear exactly how many people have been injured or killed.

The ruling Communist Party newspaper, Granma, reported three people have survived.

Flight tracking websites indicated the flight was CU972.

Boeing Co. said in a Twitter post: “We are aware of news reports out of Cuba and are closely monitoring the situation.”

The aircraft was possibly leased from a small Mexican airline called Damojh, Cuban state media said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

— With files from Reuters