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A Cuban state airways plane with 104 passengers on board crashed shortly after taking off Friday from Havana’s Jose Marti airport, leaving a thick column of smoke over the scene.

The Boeing 737 operated by Cubana de Aviacion crashed in a field near the airport, and a column of acrid smoke was rising over the crash site, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

There were no initial reports of casualties on the ground.
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Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who went to visit the scene, said there was a “high number” of casualties.

“There has been an unfortunate aviation accident. The news is not very promising, it seems that there is a high number of victims,” Diaz-Canel was quoted as saying shortly after visiting the scene.

Diaz-Canel said nine crew members were believed to have been on board, in addition to the passengers.
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Airport sources said the jetliner was heading from the capital to the eastern city of Holguin.

State television said the airliner was operated by a foreign crew, but gave no details.

Reports said European airline Blue Panorama had been leasing a 737-400 plane to Cubana de Aviacion for several months.
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