加拿大皇家骑警28日证实,一架小型螺旋桨双涡轮引擎客机27日下午坠毁在温哥华国际机场旁交通繁忙的拉斯贝克道上,造成机上人员1死8伤。
温哥华海岸卫生局官员也在28日上午证实,8名伤者中,2人情况仍然危殆,有4人伤情稳定,另2人伤势无大碍已自行出院。
飞机坠地时左机翼撞及一辆正在行驶中的蓝色私家车,造成车上2名乘客受伤。不过,有关方面未能透露这2名伤者的情况。
温哥华机场管理局称,出事的是北方雷鸟航空公司的一架双涡轮引擎包机,预定27日日下午3时40分从温哥华飞往基隆那,起飞后不久就通知控制塔飞机出现问题而要折返机场,却在即将降落前意外坠毁,离温哥华机场跑道只有900米。
飞机坠落后冒出大量黑烟,机身起火,尾翼断落并脱离机身,两个螺旋桨引擎也脱落在马路上。有目击者表示,飞机堕地后还滑行了二三百呎,燃油漏满一地后焚烧,现场有如一条几百呎长的巨型火龙。
据目击者称,当时有不少汽车司机在救护和消防人员未到之前,就奋勇冲到飞机残骸中救人,并救出多名乘客,在第一批被救出的两名乘客之中,一人似乎没有意识,另一人则还能挥手。
根据飞机登记资料,出事的Beechcraft King Air 100型双螺旋桨涡轮引擎飞机是在1970年制造。该型飞机最多可以有9名乘客,通常作为包机使用,是一种非常普遍的小型客机。
Charred: Firefighters work at the site where a small aeroplane crashed near Vancouver International Airport
Injured: Three people, two of them believed to be crew members, are critically ill after the crash
Shell: A pedestrian walking down a nearby street was injured after he was hit by debris from the plane
Miracle: No-one was killed in the smash close to Vancouver International Airport yesterday afternoon - which left all nine people aboard, and a person on the ground, injured
Clean-up operation: The Beech King Air 100 partially burst into flames after it landed on a street leading up to the airport
Investigation: The plane, operated by British Columbia-based Northern Thunderbird Air, was bound for Kelowna but turned around.
The air traffic controller asks the pilot to confirm whether he ''doesn''t need equipment or help'' on the runway.
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