Reports Indicate There Were 104 Passengers And Nine Crew On Board

A Cubana Boeing 737 has gone down as it departed from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana that reportedly had 104 passengers and nine crew on board.

The accident occurred just after 1400 local time Friday, according to a report from CBS News. Officials said the plane was en route to Holguin in eastern Cuba when it went down shortly after takeoff from Marti Airport. It went down between the airport and the town of Santiago de las Vegas.

The plane impacted terrain in a field of yuca-root plants. It appeared to be substantially damaged, and a post-impact fire ensued.

Among the officials who rushed to the accident scene was Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Residents of the area said they saw some of the passengers being taken away by ambulances. A military officer who did not wish to be identified said that there appear to be three survivors from the accident, but other officials would not confirm or deny that statistic.

The plane was leased by Cubana, which has been criticized recently for its service and has taken several older airplanes out of service in the past few months due to mechanical issues, according to the report. Cubana is Cuba's national airline.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report