Havana, Cuba (CNN) – A Cubana de Aviacion Boeing 737 crashed on takeoff from Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport on Friday, according to Cuba’s state-run television.
The flight was headed to the Cuban city of Holguin and casualties are reported, an airport source told CNN.
A large fireball followed by a towering plume of smoke was visible near the airport on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, according to witnesses.
Cubana de Aviacion — Cuba’s national carrier — has had to ground some of its aging fleet because of safety issues, though the cause of Friday’s crash is unknown, CNN’s Patrick Oppmann reported from Havana.
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