Pilot, co-pilot killed in runway collision at New York airport

New York: A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck late Sunday on a runway at New York s LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and...

New York: A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck late Sunday on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and forcing a halt to flights, authorities and US media reported.

AFP pictures showed the heavily damaged nose and cockpit section of the Air Canada Express plane, which had arrived from Montreal, on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles with their lights flashing.

The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision, US media including CNN and NBC reported. Another 13 people, including 11 passengers and two first responders, were taken to the hospital with injuries, according to broadcaster ABC.

The aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, struck a firefighting truck on Runway 4 at around 11:40 pm on Sunday (0340 GMT Monday) as the vehicle drove to a separate incident, New York's port authority said.

A preliminary passenger list showed 76 people on board, including four crew members, Jazz Aviation said in a statement.