Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Lorenzo Nunez described a "strong explosion" moments after take off

A passenger plane has crashed in the capital of Mexico's Durango state, just moments after take-off.

All 103 passengers and crew on board the Aeroméxico flight survived the crash but 97 of them are injured.

State Governor José Rosas Aispuro said the plane was hit by a gust of wind which caused a sudden descent. Its left wing then touched the ground and two engines broke off.

Most of the passengers were able to walk away before it caught fire.

Aeroméxico flight AM2431 was flying from Guadalupe Victoria International Airport in Durango to Mexico City when it crashed at around 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

Initial reports spoke of 97 passengers and four crew, but Governor Rosas said that two children were also on board - bringing the total to 103.

The plane's pilot is one of two who were seriously injured. He needed an operation on his spine but is reportedly in a stable condition. A young girl sustained burns.

Many other passengers had only "very light" injuries, officials said.

'We have to jump'

Ramin Parsa told the BBC that "shortly after the plane took off, I knew something was wrong. The plane began to shake," he recalled.

He said the plane hit the ground and "started bouncing, shaking and sliding" until it hit some trees and finally stopped when it fell into a ditch.

"All the lights went off and then there was smoke inside the cabin, people were panicking and screaming."

Mr Parsa said it was "a miracle of God that we survived".

Image copyright EPA Image caption The fire spread through the aircraft after the crash

Passenger Jacqueline Flores described the moment she and her daughter escaped the plane.

"I think we fell back on the runway because it was a hard surface, then we skidded on the ground until it stopped," the 47-year-old told the Agence France Press news agency.

"I undid my seatbelt and saw flames, and realised we had to jump. There was a hole right next to us where the plane had broken up. I told my girl, 'We have to jump over here', and we jumped," she added.

A local politician on board the flight, Rómulo Campuzano, said he had been "very lucky because I was able to get out by the main door". He said the door had been torn off and was lying next to the plane "acting as a ramp".

"I walked away from the plane, turning around to see if the other passengers were getting out, too. It started raining very hard and I think that helped put out the flames," he said.

Safe evacuation

Governor Rosas said the crew were able to deploy the evacuation slides shortly after the crash, allowing those still on board to leave the plane safely before the flames spread.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Most of the injured were released quickly and able to get home with a little help

The airline Aeroméxico has a good safety record, according to local media. Its last deadly accident was in 1981, when 32 people were killed when an Aeroméxico plane crashed on landing in northern Chihuahua state.

The airport operator, Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte, said early data suggested bad weather was the cause, and that the plane had taken off during a heavy hailstorm before being forced to attempt an emergency landing.

One passenger said the plane had been hit by lightning.

Image copyright AFP/KEVIN ALCANTAR DRONES DURANGO Image caption The plane crashed shortly after take-off

In a statement, Aeroméxico said they "deeply regret" the accident, while Brazilian plane company Embraer said it had sent a team to the crash site.</s>MEXICO CITY: As many as 85 people were injured on Tuesday, two critically, when an Aeromexico-operated Embraer passenger jet crashed soon after takeoff in Mexico's state of Durango, but authorities said there were no fatalities.

The mid-sized jet was almost full, with 97 passengers and four crew members aboard, when it came down at around 4 pm local time (2100 GMT), Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Mexico`s minister for communications and transportation, wrote on Twitter.

"The plane was taking off," Governor Jose Rosas Aispuro told Mexican television, adding that witnesses told him there was "a bang" and then without warning the plane was on the ground.

TV images showed the severely damaged body of the plane after it came to rest in scrubland and a column of smoke rose into the sky. 

 The plane made an emergency landing about six miles (10 km) from the airport, Alejandro Cardoza, a spokesman for the state`s civil protection agency, said on local television. Other authorities said the crash was close to the airport.

Cardoza said in an interview that around 85 people had been injured, adding that a fire resulting from the accident had been put out. The civil protection agency said 37 people were hospitalized, while the state health department said two passengers were in a critical condition.

The operator of Durango airport, Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte, attributed the crash to bad weather conditions, citing preliminary reports. The plane had barely taken off when it felt like it was hit by a strong air current, one passenger told network Televisa.

"Many managed to leave the plane on foot," Cardoza said.

Aeromexico said on Twitter that flight number 2431 was an Embraer 190 bound for Mexico City when it crashed. A spokesman for the Mexican airline declined to disclose the passenger list or the nationalities of those on board.

Embraer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that he had instructed the defence, civil protection and transportation ministries to aid in the response to the crash.</s>85 of the 101 people on board were injured

Officials say 85 people were injured but there were no fatalities in the crash this afternoon of Aeroméxico flight 2431 shortly after it took off from the Guadalupe Victoria airport in Durango.

The Embraer 190 aircraft had 97 passengers and four crew on board and was bound for Mexico City.

It crashed about 10 kilometers from the Durango airport at about 3:20 this afternoon.

Some passengers were reported to have made their way to a nearby highway to seek aid.

Sources at Aeroméxico said weather conditions were poor when the flight took off, with heavy rain and hail.

One report said the pilot attempted but failed to abort the takeoff.

UPDATED: This story was updated with new information at 5:35pm CDT.</s>Mexico City, Aug 1 (IANS) An Aeromexico plane carrying 101 people on board crashed minutes after taking off. At least 12 of the 85 persons injured are said to be critical, an official said.

The incident took place on Tuesday at the airport in Durango city. Confusion still persists on any fatalities, as well as regarding the number of injured, Efe news reported.

Emergency and security teams were at the crash site — a vacant and arid area near Guadalupe Victoria Airport.

The latest figures were provided by the spokesman for the Durango state Health Secretariat, Fernando Ros. He told the media that 18 have been hospitalised of whom 12 are critical.

Durango Governor Jose Aispuro ruled out any fatalities on Twitter.

However, Mexican Communications and Transportation Secretary Gerardo Ruiz Esparza told reporters that he could only confirm 52 people to have survived the crash.

The aircraft, an Embraer 190, that was carrying 97 passengers and a crew of four, went down around 3.20 p.m., shortly after taking off on a flight to Mexico City, the Durango state government said.

The North-Central Airport Group (OMA), the agency that operates the airport, blamed poor weather conditions for the crash.

“It was raining, there was a storm. I think they wanted to abort, but were not able to fall on the runway. It fell farther ahead where the paved runway ends and that caused the fire that seriously damaged the plane,” Aispuro said.

The airport has been closed while officials attend to the wreckage.</s>MEXICO CITY: An Aeromexico-operated Embraer passenger jet crashed in Mexico's northern state of Durango on Tuesday, the airline said, with the state's civil protection agency saying there were so far no reports of deaths.

TV images showed the tail of a plane bearing an Aeromexico logo emerging from scrubland and a column of smoke rising into the sky. A reporter for network Milenio said some passengers had survived and walked to a highway to seek help.

The Mexican airline said on Twitter that flight number 2431 was an Embraer 190 with capacity for 100 passengers and was bound for Mexico City when it crashed.

Shortly after taking off, the plane made an emergency landing about six miles (10 km) from the airport, Alejandro Cardoza, a spokesman for the state's civil protection agency, said on local television.

Governor Jose Rosas Aispuro said on local television that the plane was bound for Mexico City.

"The plane was taking off," said Rosas Aispuro, adding that witnesses told him there was "a bang" and then without warning the plane was on the ground.

Embraer did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Mexican incident.</s>MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican airline confirms Embraer 190 plane with capacity of 100 passengers was involved in northern Mexico ‘accident’</s>Mexican airline confirms Embraer 190 plane with capacity of 100 passengers was involved in northern Mexico 'accident'

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican airline confirms Embraer 190 plane with capacity of 100 passengers was involved in northern Mexico 'accident'</s>MEXICO CITY (AP/CBSLA) — An Aeromexico airliner crashed after taking off in the northern state of Durango on Tuesday, a federal official confirmed, and the state’s governor says no one was killed.

The civil defense office of Durango state said the plane landed in a field near the airport for the state capital, also named Durango. The agency published photos of a smoking but seemingly relatively intact plane lying on its belly in a field. Lines of ambulances were waiting at the accident site.

Gerardo Ruiz Eparza, head of Mexico’s Transport Department, said that “the plane fell upon takeoff.” He said there were 97 passengers and four crew members aboard.

The airline says in its Twitter account that it is “trying to verify the information and obtain details.” Aeromexico says it involved an Embraer 190 plane with capacity of 100 passengers.

There is no immediate information on whether there are any injuries or deaths.</s>An Aeromexico passenger jet has crashed after taking off in Mexico's northern state of Durango, but the state's governor said there have been no deaths.

The Mexico City-bound Embraer 190 jet was almost full, with 97 passengers and four crew members aboard, when it came down at around 4pm local time (21:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Mexico's minister for communications and transportation, wrote on Twitter.

It made an emergency landing about 10km from the airport for the state capital shortly after taking off, Alejandro Cardoza, a spokesman for the state's civil protection agency, said on local television.

Cardoza said in an interview that around 85 people had been injured, some seriously, adding that a fire resulting from the accident had been put out and there were no reports of burn victims.

"Many managed to leave the plane on foot," he said.

Durango Governor Jose Aispuro wrote in his Twitter account that "it is confirmed there were no fatalities in the accident."

The operator of Durango airport, Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte, attributed the crash to bad weather conditions, citing preliminary reports.

TV images showed the severely damaged body of the plane emerging from scrubland and a column of smoke rising into the sky.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that he had instructed the ministries of defence, civil protection and transportation to respond to the crash.</s>(Reuters) - Dozens of people were injured on Tuesday after an Embraer E-190 (EMBR3.SA) plane operated by Aeromexico (AEROMEX.MX) crashed in Mexico.

The following is a list of incidents involving the same aircraft.

An Embraer E-190 skidded off the side of the runway at the seaside Santa Marta-Simón Bolívar Airport in Colombia and partially came to rest in the Atlantic Ocean. There were no serious injuries. The incident involved heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Forty-four people died when an Embraer E-190 operated by Henan Airlines crashed near the Yichun Lindu Airport in China amid dangerous foggy conditions. Chinese investigators concluded the airline crew had continued a dangerous approach despite poor visibility, which led to the airplane crashing onto the ground half a mile (0.8 km) from the runway.

An Embraer E-190 crashed against a wall at the Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport in Ecuador after the flaps in the aircraft’s wings malfunctioned during landing. Investigators concluded the airplane crew had not followed Embraer’s protocols for emergency situations. There were no serious injuries.

An Embraer E-190 experienced a ground loop - the aircraft tilted with one wing rising and the other hitting the ground - at the Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport. The ground loop was apparently intentional because the aircraft had run out of runway without being able to come to a halt. Investigators concluded airport conditions and decisions by the crew before landing caused the incident. There were no injuries.
An Aeroméxico Embraer 190 crashes shortly after taking off from Durango International Airport in Durango, Mexico, injuring around 85 people, two critically.