Toronto Pearson International Airport experienced “extreme” weather before a Delta Line plane crashed and turned upside down.
Two passengers remain in the hospital after Monday crash of the Bombardier CRJ-900LR passenger jet that took off from Minneapolis. All 80 survived miraculously.
“There are so many factors that I'm grateful today,” said Deborah Flint, CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport.
She called the survival of all passengers and crews “really incredible.”
A total of 21 passengers have been injured, according to Flint.
Of these, 19 have been released from local hospitals, and two are still undergoing treatment. None of the injuries to the survivors were life-threatening, she said.
She refused to say whether one of the hospitalized passengers was a survivor of a child who flew to Sickkids Children's Hospital in Toronto on Monday.
Flint said the airport and surrounding area were facing “extreme circumstances” for the days leading up to the crash. Two separate snowstorms, Thursday and Sunday, resulted in accumulation of over 20 inches. More than last winter.
On Thursday, 221 of the scheduled flights of 974 in Toronto Pearson was cancelled due to the storm, and 371 of 987 was cancelled on Sunday. Flint said Monday, the crash day, was a “operational recovery day,” but that 462 cancellation was recorded from 1,006 scheduled flights due to crash falls.
Toronto Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken told reporters that the department will perform a “textbook response,” using foam and dry chemicals to defeat spot fires, dowsing jet fuel and deliver passenger exits. He said he cleared it.
Aitken said most passengers “self-evacuated.”
Peel Regional Emergency Service Cory Tucucci approaches an inverted jet, including “back sprain, head injury, anxiety, some headaches, nausea, vomiting” caused by fuel, and the first responder has “a large number of people.” He said he was faced with injuries. exposure.
He did not provide much information about the injuries of survivors who were deemed “critical” shortly after, but such decisions are determined based on complaints such as vital signs or head injuries. He said that it will be done.
Flint said members of the Canadian Road Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Air Lines and Mitsubishi are all on the ground to assist in the investigation, and abandoned aircraft are likely to be removed from its location. I've said that. Next 48 hours.
The two Toronto Pearson runways will remain closed until they can take the jets, she said.
Delta Flight 4819, operated by an airline subsidiary, took off from Minneapolis around 11:47am and crashed around 2:15pm.
