An Aeromexico plane carrying 103 people has crashed after taking off in a blustery storm, with all the people aboard able to escape before fire engulfed the aircraft.
Passengers expressed gratitude to be alive, but many were extremely shaken after the crash on Tuesday afternoon.
“It was really, really ugly,” said Lorenzo Nunez, a passenger from Chicago who fled the plane with his two sons and wife.
“It burned in a question of seconds,” he told reporters.
Survivors said the Embraer 190 plane smashed down into a nearby field but skidded to a stop virtually intact before bursting into flames.
“We felt the flames coming quickly … there was a lot of smoke,” Jaquelin Flores told the newspaper El Sol.
Durango state governor Jose Aispuro said a gust of wind hit flight AM2431 heading from the city of Durango to Mexico City just as it was lifting off the tarmac, forcing the pilot to abort take-off.
Passengers said they heard a loud noise as the plane’s left wing banged to the ground, and both engines tore loose. The plane stayed upright, though, and the escape slides activated.
Mr Aispuro said it was too soon to speculate on the cause of the crash.
Mechanical failure and human error could be factors, but certainly the weather was not favourable.
Strong wind and heavy rain with marble-sized hail lashed Durango city, even damaging hangars at the airport.
After the accident, several passengers walked away from the plane before first responders arrived.
Some sought medical help, while others rushed home to loved ones. Officials spent much of the afternoon tracking down survivors to ensure that everyone was accounted for.
Officials said 49 people had been taken to hospital — most with minor injuries. The pilot suffered the most serious injury, a cervical lesion that required surgery.
Some people had burns on a quarter of their bodies, said Durango state Health Ministry spokesman Fernando Ros.
Mr Aispuro said all were expected to live.
“Our heart is with those affected and their families,” he said at an evening news conference.
Mr Conesa said the passengers included 88 adults, nine children and two babies and the crew consisted of two flight attendants and two pilots.
The web site Planespotters.net said the Brazilian-made medium-range jet was about 10 years old and had seen service with two other airlines before joining the Aeromexico fleet.
Operations were suspended at Durango city’s Guadalupe Victoria airport after the crash.
