At least 3 pets were aboard a plane that skidded into a river. Now they're presumed dead. [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

At least 3 pets were aboard a plane that skidded into a river. Now they’re presumed dead.

By Deanna Paul, Marisa Iati and Orion Donovan-Smith May 5 at 12:15 PM

Several crated dogs and cats were in the cargo hold of a charter flight that slid off a Florida runway and into the St. Johns River on Friday evening. Now, after multiple attempts to locate them with the bottom half of the plane still underwater, investigators say they have been unable to rescue the animals, according to the Associated Press.

Barring a second “miracle on the St. Johns,” the pets are presumed dead.

The Miami Air International Boeing 737, inbound from the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, skidded as it came in for a landing at Naval Air Station Jacksonville around 9:40 p.m., the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said. Everyone on board — 136 passengers and seven crew members — survived without critical injuries. Twenty-one people were transported to hospitals, according to the fire department, but only one was hospitalized — a 3-month-old — out of precaution.

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Connor announced there were no pet carriers found in the cargo hold or discovered above water, the AP reported. Investigators also listened for barking, meows or other animal noises, but heard nothing.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/05/05/pets-aboard-plane-that-crashed-into-florida-river-are-presumed-dead/