Key events
Oliver Holmes
Photos showed significant damage to the nose of the plane, which was tilted upward. Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet.
A photo of the fire vehicle showed it had tipped on to its side. NBC News had earlier said a sergeant and an officer had broken limbs and were in stable condition at a hospital.
The truck had been responding to a United Airlines flight, which had declared an emergency due to an odour reported onboard. Controllers told the aircraft that fire trucks were available on site.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airport was expected to remain closed until 2pm on Monday to facilitate an investigation into the collision. Flightradar24 said 18 flights had been diverted to other airports, mostly in the New York area, or returned to their point of origin.
New York governor Kathy Hochul reacted to the crash on Monday morning, paying tribute to the victims and their families. She also said the airport would remain closed until early afternoon local time.
Hochul wrote on X:
Heartbreaking news out of LaGuardia this morning. Two pilots were killed and dozens injured in this tragedy. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected. The airport will remain closed until 2pm. We’ll continue to share updates as they become available.
Pilot and co-pilot killed after Air Canada jet collision at LaGuardia New York
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet have been killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport, in an incident that closed the airport.
Around 40 passengers and crew members were taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries. Most have since been released from treatment, authorities said Monday.
The crash happened as a firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport and reported having two employees hurt while they travelled in the fire truck.
The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, according to an airline statement.
In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the runway, then trying to stop it.
“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the transmission says. The controller can then be heard quickly diverting incoming aircraft from landing.
Here is what else we’re looking at today:
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The crash came on the eve of the Trump administration deploying ICE agents to US airports to assist with security amid extremely long lines – and to help airport security agents who have been working without pay since 14 February because of a partial government shutdown.
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The supreme court is hearing arguments on whether states can count late-arriving mail ballots – a target of Trump’s. The outcome of the case could affect voters in 14 states and Washington DC. Another 15 states with more forgiving ballot deadlines could also be affected. A ruling is expected in June – and could affect the midterms.
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Republican senator Markwayne Mullin could be confirmed as new homeland security secretary on Monday. If approved, as expected, Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, whom Trump fired from the role of homeland security secretary on 5 March.
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