‘It’s heartbreaking’ says passenger from flight that fire crew were heading to helppublished at 20:40 GMT 23 March
20:40 GMT 23 March
Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter
Cynthia Ting, 23, tells me the fire engine that collided with the Air Canada plane last night was headed to service the separate United Airlines flight she was on.
Ting was travelling to Chicago when the pilot announced the flight was being held up because of an “odour”.
“We attempted to take off twice and we couldn’t,” she says. “Then I saw on the news this morning that we were the flight that required the fire truck.”
She says her plane had an emergency evacuation – she and her fellow passengers were told to leave their belongings on board.
“I didn’t actually know about the crash until I looked online,” she says. “It’s heartbreaking.”
After spending another night in New York, she was worried she wouldn’t be able to make it home to Chicago.
But she got rebooked onto a flight later this afternoon.
Her fingers are crossed that she will make it home today, she says.
Image source, BBC / Sakshi Venkatraman