Five Dead, Five Injured in Amazon Cargo Plane Runway Crash at Miami International Airport

At least five people were killed Sunday when an Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport after landing, crashed into vehicles and burst into flames, authorities said.

The Boeing 767-300, operating as Prime Air Flight 7598, had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, just before 2 p.m. when it left the runway while landing at 1:58 p.m., Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said. The jet slammed into a couple of vehicles near the airfield, and fire crews found two victims trapped inside the wreckage.

In addition to the five fatalities, three people were taken to trauma centers in critical condition and two others were treated at a local hospital, Jadallah told reporters late Sunday. He described a complex rescue operation involving a technical team that raced to free victims from vehicles and pull the pilot and co-pilot from the cockpit of the stricken freighter. He did not say whether the two aviators survived, and officials gave no further details after brief statements at the scene.

Cellphone video showed thick black smoke pouring from the blue-and-white aircraft as fire trucks converged on the tarmac. Nearly 200 Miami-Dade firefighters and 60 fire apparatuses responded, Jadallah said. Fire rescue crews used foam to extinguish an engine compartment fire, shut down the plane's engine and controlled a fuel leak, according to a statement from fire officials posted to X.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it has launched a go-team to investigate Sunday's runway excursion accident. The cause will be determined by the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, authorities confirmed. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company would cooperate fully with the investigation and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz told reporters that deputies encountered a “really tragic scene” but said there was no apparent threat to public safety. Still, the crash prompted the airport to close all runways and taxiways for hours, triggering widespread flight delays and cancellations for commercial passengers. The Miami Herald reported that two of the airport's four runways had reopened by Sunday evening, while travelers were advised to check directly with their airline before heading to the airport.

The crash disrupted a major international gateway and added renewed attention to the safety of air-cargo operations, which have become a central part of the region’s logistics network. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava thanked first responders, saying rescue crews arrived “within seconds” of the crash scene.