More than 100 feared dead in Cuba plane crash

MORE than 100 people are believed to have died yesterday when a Boeing 737 airliner crashed and exploded near the Cuban capital Havana.

The plane came down shortly after take-off from Jose Marti International Airport, crashing in a field.

Firemen rushed to extinguish flames engulfing the plane, which was meant to have been on a short jaunt to the eastern city of Holguin.

It had been carrying 104 passengers and nine foreign crew, according to local media. Three people survived but were in a critical condition in hospital, it was reported.

Emergency medical staff converged on the scene, along with relatives of passengers, among them a man who said that his wife and niece had been aboard. He was taken to an airline terminal where relatives were being asked to gather.

Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the scene and said: ‘There has been an unfortunate aviation accident. The news is not very promising, it seems that there is a high number of victims.’

The plane was rented by Cubana airlines, which is notorious among Cubans for its frequent delays and cancellations, which the company blames on a lack of parts and planes due to the US trade embargo on the island.

The airline has taken many of its ageing planes out of service in recent months because of mechanical problems.