An airport worker has been killed by a reversing passenger jet in front of screaming onlookers in Canada.
The employee, identified as 39-year-old ramp agent Oscar Robayo by unions, died after being struck by a French bee plane at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.
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Montreal police said the plane was reversing on the tarmac before it hit the 39-year-old.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and took Mr Robayo to hospital, where he later died.
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One spectator told Radio-Canada that “many passengers were screaming”, adding that she had seen the man pass under the plane.
And Matthieu Douvenou, a passenger on the French bee Airbus A350, said he turned on the camera showing the underside of the plane and witnessed the horror unfold.
“The runway worker had stumbled, the plane reversed and we felt the impact,” he told Canadian public broadcaster CBC.
Mr Robayo worked as a ramp agent, handling baggage and servicing jets for Samsic, a company which provides airport and passenger support services.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has now sent investigators to the airport and has launched an urgent probe.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union has extended its condolences to his family in a statement.
Dave Flowers, its president, said the incident showed the dangers of working in the aerospace industry.
“Although serious accidents are rare, the dangers our members face day to day at work make safety the number one priority,” he said.
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And Peter Tsoukalas, a spokesman for the union, said Mr Robayo was a “very good member”, adding that airport workers regularly face dangers unseen to passengers.
“No one ever, ever had any issues with his workmanship or his professionalism,” he said.
French bee said the tragic accident involved the aircraft and a pushback vehicle.
“The precise circumstances surrounding the accident have not yet been established,” the airline said in a statement to The Canadian Press.
Yves Beauchamp, chief executive of Aeroports de Montréal, said it was providing support for “employees and passengers who witnessed this tragic accident” and was cooperating with the investigation.
“The loss of a member of our airport community affects us all deeply,” he added.
Canada’s Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon shared his condolences after the horror incident.
He said: “The safety and security of Canadians is Transport Canada’s highest priority.
“Transport Canada will appoint a ministerial observer to keep me informed as the investigation progresses.”
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