Boeing 747 cargo aircraft crashes in Colombia, three dead

July 7, 2008

A Boeing cargo aircraft operated by  has crashed near Bogotá in Colombia, killing three people on the ground after it hit their house. It seems that fire in one of four engines of the 747 caused the accident, just after taking off from for a flight to Miami.

The plane, which was carrying flowers, had declared an emergency two minutes after take-off and was said to be attempting to return to the airport when it crashed at 3:55 am local time. All eight crew survived but some were injured and were rushed to hospital in the nearby town of.

The crash is the second involving a Kalitta Air 747 in two months. In May another of the company's 747s crashed whilst attempting to take-off at an airport in Belgium.