Two people have died and at least two others have been injured tonight after a collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York (Queens), according to CNN, citing a police source. The deceased are the airline's pilot and co-pilot, while the injured were in the fire truck. The airport has been closed. The accident occurred at approximately 11:40 p.m. local time when a Jazz Aviation flight operating an Air Canada flight struck a fire truck responding to another incident at the airport. Authorities activated emergency protocols and ordered the closure of the aerodrome to facilitate rescue operations and an investigation into the circumstances of the disaster, which has forced the suspension of numerous flights. The facility is expected to remain closed until Monday afternoon. Jazz Aviation confirmed the incident related to Air Canada flight 8646 from Montreal in a statement released this morning. The aircraft, a CRJ-900, was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members, according to a preliminary list provided by the airline. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it is sending an investigative team to the scene. According to the flight tracking service Flightradar24, the plane was traveling at about 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour) just before the impact. Images of the collision show severe damage to the front of the aircraft. The accident, according to CNN, occurs amid tensions at U.S. airports due to a lack of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has affected security personnel and caused delays at various airports across the country.
