Cuban leader visits plane crash survivors, relatives of victims

HAVANA - Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday visited the survivors and relatives of the victims of Friday's plane crash, which saw 110 people killed when the Cubana airlines flight plummeted to the ground and burst into flames.

The Boeing 737, which was rented from Mexican airline Damojh, was carrying 113 people at the time of the accident, Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo said at a press conference on Saturday.

Diaz-Canel visited the three women who survived, but were in serious condition and receiving treatment at the Calixto Garcia Hospital in Havana, according to a national television news broadcast.

The president also met with the relatives of the victims as they arrived at the Forensics Institute in Havana to help identify their loved ones.

Authorities are investigating what went wrong with the domestic flight, which crashed shortly after taking off from Havana's main airport on its way to the eastern province of Holguin.