At least five dead after Amazon cargo plane overshoots runway at Miami airport

At least five people are dead after an Amazon cargo plane barrelled off a Miami airport runway and smashed into cars, a sheriff said on Sunday.

The plane struck vehicles, bursting into flames and sending thick black smoke into the sky in a crash that shut down flights at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

As well as the people killed, three were critically injured and two others in hospital with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials told a news conference.

More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the crash, arriving to find the aircraft on fire as crews worked to extinguish the flames and assess patients.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft overran the runway around 2pm after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said the plane struck multiple vehicles after leaving the runway.

They said it was too soon to say whether the people who died were on board the plane or in the vehicles the plane hit.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA was sending investigators and issued a full ground stop at Miami International as emergency crews responded.

The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a road near two semi-trucks, according to images from the scene. The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.

The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina.

The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.

All runways and taxiways were closed, an airport spokesperson said. About 250 flights were delayed at the airport as of late afternoon on Sunday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

The FAA warned that delays were likely to persist even after the airport reopened, with arrivals and departures expected to resume at a reduced rate.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the crash.

“We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a social media post.

“Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, wellbeing and care of everyone involved.”

Amazon said in a statement that it would co-operate with any investigation.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”