Washington DC [USA]: Twenty-six people, including 17 children and nine adults, complained of minor injuries after a plane apparently dumped jet fuel over a school playground on Tuesday afternoon while en route to Los Angeles International Airport.
The incident happened at Park Avenue Elementary in Cudahy, California, inspector Sean Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told CNN. The department tweeted that the substance was jet fuel. While the children, who were playing in the playground when the plane dumped the fuel, were not shifted to hospital but were treated by dozens of firefighters and paramedics at the school, which is located about 19 miles east of Los Angeles airport.
A hazardous materials team went to the school and is testing the liquid, Ferguson said. In a written statement, the Los Angeles Unified School District said that educators are checking each classroom to make sure no injuries were missed. The district's Office of Environmental Health and Safety is also responding.
A video posted on YouTube shows the Delta Flight 89 overhead with white streaks coming from the tips of the wings. Alan De Leon, who shot the video, told CNN he heard a loud whistle, smelled jet fuel and felt irritation in his eyes. The Federal Aviation Administration further confirmed that the Shanghai-bound plane declared an emergency shortly after takeoff and returned to Los Angeles airport. Flight 89 experienced an engine issue, requiring it to return to the airport, said Delta Air Lines spokesman Adrian Gee. He said that the flight landed safely after an "emergency fuel release to reduce landing weight."
