Just hours before a Delta Airlines plane met with disaster in Canada, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport had issued a warning that it was tidying up a runway to ensure aircraft could “safely arrive and depart” after a weekend snowstorm. The Delta flight, inbound from Minneapolis, suffered the major mishap on Monday.
Social media footage depicted the aircraft overturned on the tarmac while passengers made their escape. “Here’s a look at part of our airfield this morning as the clean up continues from this weekend’s storm,” the airport posted on X, mere hours prior to Monday’s incident.
“Our crews worked all weekend to keep the roughly 5 million square meters of airfield clear of snow to keep planes arriving and departing safely.”
All 80 individuals aboard were successfully evacuated, according to officials. At least 15 people, including one child, sustained injuries during the crash, with two in critical condition, as reported by CTV.
“A number of passengers were taken to local hospitals. GTAA staff are supporting families of passengers at arrivals,” the airport communicated on X. Normal operations for departures and arrivals recommenced on Monday evening post-incident, reports the Mirror US.
The weekend’s snowstorm had left the airport buried under 22cm (nearly 9 inches) of snow. “Today, we’re expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travellers on board around 1,000 flights,” the airport announced on X before the calamity struck.
“Our airfield team has continued their work throughout the night to clear critical areas so planes can safely arrive and depart.”
In a harrowing clip that’s gone viral on social media, a passenger captured the chilling moments following a crash, with their Delta aircraft flipped over on the tarmac as plumes of smoke rose. “We’re in Toronto, we just landed, our plane crashed. It’s upside down…most people are going to be okay, we’re all getting off,” they recounted.
This terrifying event is the latest in a string of US aviation mishaps. Just last month, a catastrophic collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army chopper near Ronald Reagan National Airport claimed 67 lives, marking the worst air tragedy in America since 2001.
Shortly after, Philadelphia was the scene of another tragedy when a medical transport plane went down, resulting in the death of all six aboard, including a young patient. And earlier this month, a Japan Airlines aircraft clipped the tail of a stationary Delta plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, thankfully without any injuries.
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