Plane carrying more than 100 people crashes near Havana

UPDATE: Several survivors have been taken to hospital in critical condition. Details soon.

A large passenger plane carrying more than 100 people has crashed shortly after take-off from Havana’s main airport, killing an unknown number of people, witnesses say. It’s unknown if anyone survived.

The incident happened on early Friday afternoon when Cubana Flight 972 went down moments after taking off from Jose Marti International Airport near Cuba’s capital. At least 104 people were on board.

Photos from the scene showed that most of the aircraft was destroyed in the crash, but it’s unknown if anyone survived. Several bodies were recovered at the crash site, witnesses said..

The aircraft, a Boeing 737, was taking off for a domestic flight to the city of Holguín in eastern Cuba. The cause of Friday’s crash is under investigation.

PRIMERA IMAGEN desde el lugar del siniestro del avión en La Habana https://t.co/vvRtzPPKih pic.twitter.com/GN9YVsWduU

— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) May 18, 2018