New York: A regional passenger plane operated under Air Canada was involved in an accident after it struck a ground vehicle while landing at LaGuardia Airport, forcing authorities to temporarily shut down one of the busiest airports in the United States.
The aircraft, an Air Canada Express jet arriving from Montreal, collided with a fire rescue vehicle on the runway late on Sunday night. The plane was moving at a relatively low speed during landing when the impact occurred, but the front part of the aircraft suffered heavy damage.
Emergency teams quickly reached the scene and passengers were safely evacuated. Early reports say that several people were injured, including members of the flight crew and personnel on the ground. Some of the injured are believed to have suffered fractures, but no serious injuries among passengers have been widely reported.
The accident caused major disruption at the airport. Flights were delayed, diverted, or cancelled as officials stopped all operations for several hours to manage the situation and clear the runway.
Authorities, including aviation safety officials, have started an investigation to find out how the ground vehicle came onto the runway at the same time as the landing aircraft. Initial information suggests there may have been a coordination issue, but no official cause has been confirmed yet.
Airport operations gradually resumed after the area was secured, but delays continued as airlines worked to manage the backlog of flights.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about runway safety and coordination between aircraft and ground vehicles at busy international airports.