All passengers and crew aboard a flight that crashed and overturned during its landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada have survived, according to the airport's CEO.

Deborah Flint of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority expressed relief, stating, "We are grateful there were no fatalities and the injuries were relatively minor."

Emergency services reported that one child and two adults sustained critical injuries. Social media images showed the aircraft overturned on the snow-covered tarmac, missing at least one wing. The flight, Delta Air Lines Flight 4819 from Minneapolis, had 80 people on board, including 76 passengers and 4 crew members.

A total of 18 passengers were taken to the hospital, with critical injuries affecting a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s. Ontario's air ambulance service, Ornge, dispatched three helicopters and two ground ambulances to the scene.

Flint praised the emergency responders, calling their efforts "textbook," and credited them for preventing fatalities.

The plane, operated by Endeavor Air, was a CRJ900 aircraft. The incident occurred around 14:15 ET. Of the 80 people aboard, 22 were Canadian, while the rest were from various countries.

Flights at Toronto Pearson were briefly suspended after the crash but resumed by 17:00 local time. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada launched an investigation, with two runways closed for several days, causing expected delays.

While initial reports suggested high winds, Toronto Pearson’s fire chief confirmed that the runway was dry with no crosswinds at the time of the crash. Passengers posted footage of the overturned aircraft, showing crew assisting them as they exited.

The crash occurred amid heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures in Ontario, with delays already affecting the airport due to recent storms.

Source: BBC  

BDST: 1154 HRS, FEB 18, 2025
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