Plane catches fire and crash lands at Miami airport tearing through communications tower

At least four people have been injured after a plane dramatically caught fire and crash landed at one of America's busiest airports.

The incident at Miami International Airport on Tuesday (June 21) evening saw the Red Air MD-82 hit a communications tower and damage another small building.

A total of 140 passengers and 11 crew members are understood to have been on board the aircraft, which was arriving from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Four people are said to have been left injured in the crash, with local reports saying at least two were taken to hospital.

All passengers were evacuated once the plane had stopped moving.

Officials said the collision at 5:30pm local time (10:30pm UK time) related to the collapse of a landing gear, though it is not yet clear whether this occurred before or after the manoeuvre began.

One witness described how the plane crashed into several objects on the runway during an uneven landing, with the plane then veering off the runaway into a grassy area next to the the runway.

The aircraft only stopped its off-course trajectory after it hit a communications tower and caught on fire.

Emergency services quickly moved to extinguish the flames and respond to a fuel spillage.

A statement from the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue services said: "Fire crews have placed the fire under control and are mitigating fuel spillage.

"All souls on board have been assessed for injuries. A total of 3 patients have been transported to local area hospitals."

Two runways on the southern side of the airport remained closed while a clean-up operation was underway, while WSVN reported that the communications tower was 'taken out' as a result of the crash.

Officials have since requested that passengers using the airport check with their airlines to see if their flights are affected.