Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia has confirmed fatalities resulting from the incident, while noting that 41 passengers and two fire truck crew members were hospitalized.
Among those admitted, 32 individuals have been discharged, but a number of patients remain hospitalized with serious injuries. The Port Authority personnel are reported to be in stable condition with injuries that are not life-threatening.
Garcia redirected inquiries regarding air traffic controller directives and staffing issues to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has initiated an investigation into the matter.
She announced that the airport would remain closed at least until 2 PM today (5 AM AEDT tomorrow).
According to Garcia, the fire truck was responding to a separate incident involving a pilot who had requested assistance after multiple unsuccessful takeoff attempts.
When questioned about protocol in such scenarios, she stated, “The procedure always defers to the control tower.”
“Any time anyone is moving on any of our runways or taxiways, they have to get clearance from the tower to move on our runways and our taxiways.”
The airport said a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada struck a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident.
The collision on runway four sparked emergency protocols.
“The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s chairman and executive director,” LaGuardia Airport said in a statement.
“The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation. This is a developing situation based on preliminary information.
“The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities and will provide additional updates as more details become available.”
Air Canada said the preliminary passenger list showed 72 passengers and four crew were on board flight AC8646 from Montreal.
The New York Police Department said all streets and highway exists into the airport were closed until further notice due to an “emergency incident”.
A notice on the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System Status showed La Guardia as closed 12 minutes after the crash.
Eighteen flights had been diverted from La Guardia within a couple of hours of the collision, Flightradar24 reported.
Multiple videos taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed the jet with severe damage to the front of the aircraft.
– Reported with Associated Press
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