LATAM plane catches fire during takeoff at Lima airport

(CNN) — Two firefighters died after a LATAM Airlines plane crashed into a fire truck on the runway at Jorge Chávez International Airport, according to a statement released by Lima Airport Partners, the company that oversees Lima airport operations.

“There was an accident on the runway of the Jorge Chávez airport this afternoon. The teams of the Lima Airport Partners consortium are providing the necessary attention and support to the passengers,” according to a Friday afternoon tweet from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. from Peru.

Video on social media shows the flames from the plane as it slides down the takeoff runway in the Peruvian capital.

The LATAM Airlines plane, which was traveling between Lima and the Peruvian city of Juliaca, was involved in a ground accident. No deaths were reported, according to a tweet issued from LATAM.

The firefighters who died were identified as members of the Lima Airport Partners Aviation Fire Department, according to the statement.

“We express our solidarity with the family of Angel Torres from the ‘Garibaldi 6’ fire brigade and Nicolás Santa Gadea from the ‘Garibaldi 7’ fire brigade.

We have already reached out to families to offer our help,” Lima Airport Partners tweeted Friday afternoon.

LATAM Airlines Peru informed that “His flight LA ​​2213, which covered the Lima – Juliaca route, was collided by a fire engine that entered the runway during its takeoff run, at the Jorge Chávez International Airport.”

The airport announced that it would remain closed until approximately 1 p.m. ET tomorrow. [sábado] to continue the accident investigation.

Update: an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the fire occurred during the landing. It has been updated to reflect what happened during takeoff.

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