Team Saskatchewan eliminated from Scotties championship contention
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The elimination means Saskatchewan's Scotties championship drought has reached 14 years.
TORONTO — Flights have resumed at Toronto’s Pearson airport, but two runways are closed as investigators from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board begin their work on what may have caused a plane crash Monday.
Pearson said flights are arriving and departing, but advised travellers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
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At least 18 people were injured after a regional Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis crashed upon landing in Toronto and flipped over around 2:30 p.m.
Paramedics said out of 80 people aboard Delta Air Lines flight 4819, at least three people, including a child, were sent to hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries. Others were reported to have minor injuries.
There were no reports of deaths in the crash as of Tuesday morning.
The plane arrived at Pearson amid blowing snow following a winter storm that hit the Toronto region over the weekend.
Videos posted to social media showed emergency crews hosing down the flipped-over aircraft with a damaged wing while passengers climbed out of emergency exits to the snowy tarmac.
Gusting winds up to 65 km/h and blowing snow were reported at the airport around the time of the crash.
Arrivals and departures at Pearson resumed by 5 p.m. on Monday, but the airport said delays were expected over the coming days as crash investigators did their work.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford had been set to make an announcement in Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday morning, but the party said that event was delayed as Ford’s flight from Toronto didn’t take off on time.
Regina Airport Authority CEO assures safety and readiness for air travel
James Bogusz is the president and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, and he said that seeing an incident like this was shocking.
“I’ve been in airports for 24 years. Accidents of this magnitude are incredibly rare,” said Bogusz.
“Not only are aircrafts equipped with modernized technology that is to help them both land and depart safely, but you’ve got a lot of procedures on airport property, including navigation aids. But the video I saw was just unbelievable to watch.”
Bogusz reassures travellers that air travel is still very safe, despite recent airplane crashes.
“In the United States, you have over a billion passengers moving per year, and in Canada, we have over 160 million. So recognizing that there may be additional coverage on these circumstances, they’re all unique,” he said.
“I can tell you with certainty that aviation is one of the safest modes of travel out there. It’s been shown statistically over many years that per mile of travel, it’s one of the safest ways to go.”
He said that having a crash at one of Canada’s largest airports was a shock.
“We’ve had a few tragedies in the aviation world, but this one’s closer to home. This is an airport that Regina frequents and somewhere that we connect to on a daily basis,” Bogusz said.
Bogusz said that the response by crews in Toronto was very impressive and while airports and emergency services train for events like this, you can never be fully ready.
“Big shout out to those first responders at the Toronto Airport,” he said. “Like Toronto, we have our on-site fire service and a great relationship with the City of Regina. We practice emergency exercises every two years on a full-scale basis to make sure we’re prepared.”
— with files from 980 CJME’s Roman Hayter