Footage has emerged that shows the tragic moments after a plane crashed and exploded just outside an airport in Havana, Cuba.
Cuban state media confirmed that a passenger plane carrying 104 passengers and 9 crew members crashed shortly after take-off from Jose Marti Airport in the country's capital.
Local reports have suggested that there will be significant casualties. This view was confirmed by Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is at the scene.
Mr Diaz-Canel has been quoted as having said: "There has been an unfortunate aviation accident. The news is not very promising, it seems that there is a high number of victims."
The state broadcaster said in a noon news bulletin that the plane had crashed some 20km outside of the capital on the way to its destination, the city of Holguin.
They said: "It crashed between the locality of Boyeros and the village of Santiago de La Vegas."
There is a chance that the aeroplane had been one of those leased by the Mexican airline Damojh/Global Air. Flight tracker websites had said that the flight was numbered CU972 and was a service that departed Havana at 11am.
A representative from the Mexican company said: "There is still no information, we are gathering what we can to give correct information.
"As the day progresses there will be more information."
The video shows a thick column of smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed down. Fire and Ambulance crews rushed to the scene in the minutes following the horrific crash.
Witnesses also reported seeing a huge fireball as well as the plume of smoke. The cause of the crash is as yet unknown.
However, despite the cause of the crash not being known, it is known that the Cuban national carrier, Cubana de Aviacon, has recently been forced into grounding some of their planes as a result of concerns for their safety.
Radio Havana Cuba mentioned on their Twitter page that the plane may have crashed down on a road. They stated that the plane had come down on the 'highway' between Boyeros and Havana.
The crash is thought to have happened at around 12:08pm local time.
There have also been reports of three people who survived the crash and are currently in hospital receiving treatment. Their condition has been described as critical, according to reports in the Cuban state newspaper, Granma.
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