Costa Rica’s international airport has shut down after shocking plane crash
This comes as a Boeing cargo aircraft operated by DHL made an emergency landing.
The 22-year-old aircraft crashed to the ground, skid off the runway and split in two, after making an emergency landing.
Only the pilot and co-pilot were on board at the time and have been safely evacuated without any injuries, but one crew member is undergoing medical checks as a precaution.
Costa Rican newspaper, La Nacion, tweeted images showing the yellow aircraft with its tail detached and a broken wing, being doused with firefighting foam as its lay partly in a grass field and the runway.
According to the Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica, Luis Miranda Munoz, the aircraft bound for Guatemala, had a failure in the hydraulic system which lead the pilot to request an emergency landing not long after takeoff.
The Juan Santamaria airport will stay closed until 6pm local time which will impact 32 commercial flights to and from the United States, Central America, Mexico, Canada and Europe.
Munoz says the aircraft remains on the ground and aviation authorities are waiting for the cargo to be removed so operations can be resumed.
Savannah Pocock contributed to this article
