Video shows accident

Survivor in Toronto: “Hung like bats”

(Bild: AFP/Geoff Robins)

After a plane overturned and started to burn in Toronto on Monday, it is nothing short of a miracle that there were only casualties. One survivor can hardly believe it: It is "truly amazing" that he is still alive, he says. Looking at the video above, the luck of the passengers and crew is hard to believe. Another passenger explained that he was "hanging like a bat" in his seatbelt. 

There were 80 people on board the Bombardier plane when it overturned during landing and then came to a halt lying on its roof and on fire. Eighteen passengers were injured - although Canadian media reported that these were fortunately only minor injuries. 

Seventy-six passengers and four crew members were able to escape from the wreckage.

(Bild: AFP/Geoff Robins)

"Textbook" response after the crash
The response of the rescue services after the crash was "textbook", said the head of the airport authority, Deborah Flint, in a press conference after the accident. "We are very grateful that there were no fatalities and only relatively minor injuries," she explained.

Here, survivors get off the crashed plane: 

After the accident, the passengers were hanging in their seats with their seatbelts fastened. Passenger Pete Koukov explained: "We were hanging upside down like bats". Some were able to release themselves from their seat belts and tumble onto the cabin ceiling of the aircraft, which was lying upside down. Flight attendants and emergency services on the ground finally helped the passengers out of the jet - see article on X above.

Expert praises accident plane: "Well-built aircraft"
The CRJ-900 aircraft involved in the accident came onto the market in 2001. According to data from the Aviation Safety Network, this type of aircraft has been involved in more than 100 accidents since then. However, there have never been any fatalities.

"It was certified to high standards, both in terms of its structural strength and its ability to get people out quickly. So it was a well-built aircraft," aviation expert John Cox told the news channel CP24. The evacuation worked exactly as it was supposed to.

In this post you can see the survivor Pete Carlson:

Survivor jokes, "I'm a little balder"
Caregiver Pete Carlson's life was also turned upside down in one fell swoop - he was on his way to a paramedic conference in Toronto. "One minute you're landing and waiting to see your friends and people, and the next minute you're hanging upside down," he described the incident to the CBC broadcaster. He said he was "amazed" that he was still alive, having only suffered a cut to his head. "I'm a bit balder than I was this morning," he joked. 

Winter storm kept Canada on tenterhooks
76 passengers and four crew members were on board the ill-fated plane. Among the 18 injured was a small child, who fortunately is said to be doing well. It is not yet clear exactly how the accident happened. A severe winter storm had kept parts of Canada in suspense over the weekend, and there were also strong winds in Toronto on Monday.