Plane with 143 passengers slides into Florida river

A Boeing 737 passenger plane has slid off a runway in the US state of Florida, ending up in a river after landing during a thunderstorm.

None of the 143 people on board the plane sustained serious injuries.

The chartered aircraft, operated by Miami Air International, had flown from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to a military base in the city of Jacksonville.

An aviation official was quoted as saying the plane hit rough weather and slid off the runway, skidding into the nearby St John’s River.

Passengers alsoy said the plane landed heavily in stormy conditions before sliding into the river.

“The plane literally hit the ground and then it bounced. It was clear that the pilot did not have compete control of the plane because it bounced some more, it served and tilted left and right,” Cheryl Bormann, a passenger  on the plane, was quoted to have said.

“The pilot was trying to control it but couldn’t, and then all of a sudden it smashed into something.”

Bormann said everyone on board the aircraft helped each other with their life vests before climbing out onto the wing and into the water.

They later boarded a raft that took them safely back to land.

Tom Francis of the Jacksonville fire rescue department said 21 adults had been transported to hospitals for minor injuries, adding that all were in good condition.