Boeing 737 with 136 Passengers, 7 Crew Members Skids off into Florida River, no Fatalities

JACKSONVILLE (FLORIDA):
A charter plane carrying 143 people and travelling from Cuba to north Florida ended up in a river at the end of a runway Friday night, though no critical injuries or deaths were reported, officials said.

A Boeing 737 arriving at Naval Air Station Jacksonville from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with 136 passengers and seven aircrews slid off the runway into the St. Johns River, a NAS Jacksonville news release said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office posted on Twitter that a marine unit responded to assist. The plane was in shallow water and not submerged. Everyone on the plane was alive and accounted for, the agency posted, with 21 adults transported to local hospitals in good condition.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry posted on Twitter that teams were working to control jet fuel in the water. Navy security and emergency response personnel were on the scene and monitoring the situation, the Navy release said. Family members who were expecting the arrival of passengers were instructed to stand by.

Officials did not immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration was referring media inquiries to NAS Jacksonville.