Haitian government plane makes emergency landing in Cuba

[News_Editor]

Haitian government plane makes emergency landing in Cuba

2011-11-16 15:18:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

HAVANA, CUBA (BNO NEWS) -- A Haitian government plane carrying several officials made an emergency landing in Cuba on Tuesday, local media reported on Wednesday. There were no injuries.

The turboprop aircraft was carrying 19 Haitian government officials when a problem within the aircraft's air conditioning wiring forced the pilot to make an emergency landing as a safety precaution.

Damian Merlo, a spokesman for Haitian President Michel Martelly, told the Haiti Libre website that the aircraft landed safely. The Haitian plane was flying to Cuba to prepare for Martelly's official visit to the country from Tuesday to Thursday. He arrived in Cuba shortly after the incident.

Upon his arrival, Martelly said it was a "pleasure" and "honor" to visit Haiti's "brother country" of Cuba.

On Saturday, a Haitian government helicopter carrying a number of senior officials narrowly avoided several large trees amid thick fog and made an emergency landing in a crop field. The group, which was returning to the country's capital of Port-au-Prince following a meeting with Martelly, was rescued 15 minutes later by national police.

Among the senior officials on the helicopter were Prime Minister Garry Conille, Interior Minister of Territorial Collectivities and National Defense Thierry Mayard-Paul and Minister of Foreign and Religious Affairs Laurent Lamothe. None of them were injured.

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