A passenger plane with 80 people on board flipped during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, injuring at least eight, with one in critical condition.
A child is reportedly among the severely injured.
“Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” the airport posted on social media on Monday.
The failed landing occurred as Toronto faced strong winds and heavy snowfall during a winter storm.
Over the weekend, around 22 centimetres (8.6 inches) of snow covered the airport, adding to the accumulation from the previous week.
The overturned flight departed from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was operated by the US-based Delta Airlines.
Emergency rescue workers rushed to the scene as the plane lay upside down on the tarmac.
“We just landed. Our plane crashed. It’s upside down,” one passenger explains on a cellphone video he recorded as he exited the upturned aircraft. “Most people appear to be OK.”
Constable Sarah Patten of the Peel Regional Police in Ontario stated that emergency crews were still working to understand the cause of the crash.
“It is my understanding that most of the passengers are out and unharmed, but we’re still trying to make sure, so we’re still on scene investigating,” Patten said.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed that a team was being sent to investigate the cause of the accident.
A union representing flight attendants stated that its members were “working on this flight.”
“Reports are there are no fatalities,” the Association of Flight Attendants said in a post on X. “Please do not speculate on this incident as everyone works to gather information and support those involved.”
Images revealed the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR jet lying on its back on the tarmac, with its wings apparently missing and smoke billowing from the rear section of the aircraft.
The crash happened amid a wave of mass layoffs within the US Federal Aviation Administration, with aviation experts reeling from the loss of hundreds of probationary workers hired to address staffing shortages.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has argued that reducing the federal workforce is essential for cutting spending and eliminating waste.
However, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union cautioned that such “draconian action” would strain a workforce that is “already stretched thin.”
