Amazon cargo plane overshoots runway at Miami airport, killing at least 5

An Amazon cargo plane barrelled off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring five others as it struck vehicles and was engulfed in flames, authorities said.

The aircraft overran the runway around 2pm after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and ploughed across a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses that surround the airport. Five people were killed, three critically injured and two others hospitalised with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials told a news conference.

It was not immediately clear if the pilots survived or those killed were all in vehicles when the plane struck.

The crash, which sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, trapped the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit and some occupants in cars, said Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah. The agency said crews also had to extricate a person who was trapped under a vehicle.

The crash halted flights at the busy travel hub for much of the afternoon. Some 200 emergency personnel responded, finding the plane with heavy flames and smoke from a complex engine compartment fire, the department said. Firefighters used foam from specialised airport firefighting units to extinguish the fire, and crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane hours later.

The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, images showed. The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.