Toronto-bound jet airliner has ‘accident on landing’

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – A Fly Jamaica Airways plane headed to Toronto and reportedly carrying dozens of Canadians crash landed in Guyana on Friday after reporting a technical problem shortly after takeoff.

In a statement early Friday, the airline said it believes all 120 passengers and eight crew were safe following the crash in Georgetown.

“We can confirm that Fly Jamaica flight OJ256 bound for Toronto returned to Georgetown with a technical problem and has suffered an accident on landing,” the brief statement read.

St. Lucia News was reporting that six people were injured, but they were stable and being treated at Diamond Regional Hospital in Georgetown.

It reports that there were 82 Canadians on board.

Global Affairs Canada had no immediate comment on the crash.

The airport said on its Facebook page that the injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening.

The airline offered no other details on the nature of the accident or the injuries.

It says the Boeing 757 aircraft was forced to return to Cheddi Jagan International Airport minutes after departing for Canada because of technical difficulties and overran the airstrip.

The flight reportedly left Guyana at 2:10 a.m. local time Friday and at 2:21 a.m. the pilot indicated a problem with the hydraulics, prompting a request by the crew to return to the airport.

Images posted on the airport’s Facebook page and various sites showed the Fly Jamaica Airways plane appearing to have gone through a chainlink fence, with one of its engines tilted upward and resting on the fencing. An emergency inflatable slide had been deployed from one of the front doors.

Guyana’s public infrastructure minister, David Patterson, planned to provide a detailed report on the incident Friday. The airport has also set up a hotline for family members looking for assistance and information.