2 firefighters killed after plane strikes firetruck during takeoff at Peru airport

LIMA, Peru — Two firefighters were killed Friday after a plane struck a firetruck while taking off at Peru’s busiest airport, authorities said.

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A LATAM Airlines was taking off from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima at about 3:25 p.m. local time when it crashed into the vehicle, The Associated Press and the BBC reported.

Lima Airport Partners, the company that operates the airport, said there were 102 passengers and six crew members aboard the Airbus A320neo, according to the AP. The plane caught fire after striking the truck, the news organization reported.

“Our teams are providing the necessary care to all passengers, who are in good condition,” the company said.

Video posted on social media showed the plane careening down the runway after striking the vehicle, catching fire and smoking as it rolled to a halt, Reuters reported.

Luis Ponce La Jara, general commander of the fire department, confirmed to the AP that two firefighters were killed and one was injured. Both the plane and the firetruck were in motion when they collided.

Peru’s Health Ministry said that 20 passengers were treated for injuries, the BBC and Reuters reported. At least two were in serious condition.

Flight LA2213 was taking off from the airport and was headed to the Peruvian city of Juliaca, according to the news organization.

LATAM Airlines officials said they did not know why the firetruck was on the runway.

“No emergency was reported on the flight. It was a flight that was in optimal conditions to take off, it had authorization to take off and it encountered a truck on the runway and we don’t know what the truck was doing there,” Manuel van Oordt, general manager of LATAM Airlines Peru, said during a news conference. “We have to investigate and establish why it was there.”

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