Two passenger planes collided at Santiago airport. No one was hurt

Two passenger planes preparing to depart collided on the tarmac in the capital of Chile – Santiago, local media reported on Thursday. No one was injured, but the accident caused delays and the passengers of both machines were evacuated.

According to media reports, a Chilean LATAM airlines plane, taxiing at low speed before departure to Sao Paulo, Brazil, struck from behind an Argentinian Aeorolineas Argentinas plane standing on the tarmac waiting for permission to depart for Buenos Aires.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening local time (on the night from Wednesday to Thursday Polish time). According to statements from both airlines and photos published by the media, the Chilean plane hit the fin of the Argentine plane with its wing.

One passenger on the LATAM plane told Chile's Radio ADN that he felt a “very strong impact.” He noted that “it could have been much worse if the plane had accelerated more.”

Both airlines assured that the safety of passengers and crews was not at risk. Safety procedures were activated in both machines, and passengers had to get off and wait for other connections.

The Chilean aviation authority announced the initiation of an investigation to determine the causes of the accident, which caused several hours of delays at the Arturo Merino Benitez airport in Santiago. (PAP)

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