During a strong storm, a plane tries to land in the French Mediterranean region of Occitania. However, the Boeing overshoots the runway and steers straight into a lake. The pilots are lucky in their misfortune.
According to a report, an accident occurred at Montpellier airport in France when a Boeing 737 landed. According to this, a cargo plane is said to have missed the runway on Saturday night and rolled further into a lake, as reported by the online portal "Aerotelegraph". Photos show that the Boeing 737 is nose-forward in the water.
There were no passengers on board the plane at the time of the accident. The three crew members were not injured. According to a statement from Montpellier Airport, they were "rescued and brought to safety thanks to the quick intervention of the rescue workers". On the night of Saturday, there was a strong storm in the French Mediterranean region of Occitania when the plane was about to land.
The airport has been temporarily closed. "For security reasons, Montpellier Airport has been closed to cargo and commercial flights indefinitely until a specialist company has recovered the aircraft," the statement said. Passengers flying from Montpellier should check the website beforehand.
Around 60 employees of the fire and rescue service were involved in the rescue operation, including specialists in water rescue, the rescue service, the gendarmerie brigade for air transport and airport employees, the report said. Investigators from the local authorities should soon arrive to discuss the cause of the accident.
The crashed West Atlantic Boeing 737 is operated by Spain's Swiftair. It is said to have been used mainly on French domestic routes. From its delivery in early 1993 to 2015, it was in service with British Airways.
