Plane carrying 104 passengers crashes in Cuba

A Boeing 737 plane with 104 passengers on board crashed shortly after taking off from Havana’s main airport on Friday.

Havana is the capital of the country.

It was not immediately known if there were any casualties on the plane, which was destined for Holguin and operated by national airline Cubana, state-run TV reported.

“It crashed between the locality of Boyeros and the village of Santiago de La Vegas,” state-run TV said in its midday news broadcast, referring to an area some 20 km south of Havana.

Ambulances and firefighters rushed to the scene.

“A column of black smoke rose up in the sky,” said Ana Gonzalez, a nearby resident.

Flight tracking websites indicated the flight was CU972, departing Havana at 11am. (1500 GMT).

The aircraft was possibly leased from a small Mexican airline called Damojh, state media said.

“There is still no information, we are gathering what we can to give correct information,” a Damojh representative told Reuters in Mexico. “As the day progresses there will be more information.”