US jet makes emergency landing in Cuba after hitting birds

HAVANA: A US jet departing from Cuba had an engine failure after hitting birds and returned to Havana for an emergency landing on Sunday, Cuban authorities said.

Smoke seeped into the plane’s cabin, but no one was injured in the incident involving Southwest Airlines Flight 3923 bound for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the airline and Cuba’s civil aviation authority, Cacsa, said on their Facebook page.

The Boeing 737 was carrying 147 passengers and a crew of six, Southwest Airlines said in a statement to AFP.

Birds were said to have struck one of the engines and the nose of the aircraft shortly after takeoff.

“The pilots returned safely to Havana, where customers evacuated the aircraft via slides due to smoke in the cabin,” the statement said.

The travelers will be put on another flight to Fort Lauderdale, she added.

Cacsa said a probe had been launched. — AFP