Three dead, two trapped in Cork aircraft wreckage
At least three people died today and two others were trapped in wreckage after a plane crashed in fog at Cork Airport this morning.
The turbo prop aircraft with 10 passengers and two crew was travelling from Belfast City Airport.
It crash-landed on a runway at Cork on the third attempt to land.
A Cork County Council spokesman said three people had been confirmed dead and two more were trapped.
But an airport worker who declined to be named said staff there had been told eight people had been killed.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the number of fatalities was not immediately known.
The crash happened at 9.51am.
“It had been trying to land in foggy conditions. This was its third attempt to land,” an IAA spokeswoman said.
It is understood debris from the wreckage was scattered over a wide area.
The IAA said the plane was a Manx 2 service.
A spokesman said Cork Airport has been shut.
“There has been a crash, a Manx 2 airline, commuter plane. The emergency services are on the scene,” he said.
The plane was operating a service from George Best Belfast City Airport to Cork.
A spokesman for George Best Belfast City Airport said: “We can confirm that the Manx 2 aircraft was scheduled to leave Belfast City Airport en route to Cork, flight number NM 7100. It left here at 0812 this morning with 10 passengers and two crew on board. We understand there has been an incident at Cork airport involving this aircraft.”
Fire crews and police from across the city and county were drafted in to support the rescue efforts.
The main road leading to the airport was closed to give emergency services quick access.
Manx2.com was founded in the Isle of Man and carries 100,000 passengers a year.
It announced last September that it is expanding its presence in the North, choosing George Best Belfast City Airport as its first permanent base outside the Isle of Man and launching the twice-daily service from Belfast to Cork.
The flight takes an hour and 10 minutes on a Metroliner regional commuter aircraft which, according to Belfast City Airport, provides a quality of service akin to the private charter experience.
Manx2.com was founded in the Isle of Man and carries 100,000 passengers a year.
It announced last September that it is expanding its presence in the North, choosing George Best Belfast City Airport as its first permanent base outside the Isle of Man and launching the twice-daily service from Belfast to Cork.
The flight takes an hour and 10 minutes on a Metroliner regional commuter aircraft which, according to Belfast City Airport, provides a quality of service akin to the private charter experience.
