18 injured in people carrier crash at Washington-area airport

BBC:

A people carrier used to take passengers to and from planes has crashed at an airport near Washington DC, injuring at least 18 people, authorities said.

The vehicle, which is also known as a mobile lounge, hit a dock at Washington Dulles International Airport around 16:30EST (21:30GMT) on Monday.

According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the vehicle struck a dock, also causing damage to the terminal. The injured passengers used stairs to exit the carrier, and have been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The use of mobile lounges at Dulles airport dates back to 1959, and have been long-criticised as out-of-date and insufficiently modern.

The lounge had been transporting passengers from Concourse D, and struck a dock at an angle as it was pulling up to the terminal, according to airport spokeswoman Crystal Nosal.

She added in a statement that the airport remains open and operating normally.

It is unknown how many passengers were onboard at the time of the crash.

Dulles, which is located in Virginia but serves as one of the primary airports for people traveling to and from Washington DC, maintains of fleet of 19 mobile lounges, with each able to transport 102 people.

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Earlier this week, a former Trump official who has been nominated to the board of the MWAA criticised the vehicles, telling senators during a confirmation hearing that “the people mover is a relic of the past”.

“It’s an embarrassment that international travelers, visiting the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, are transported back to the sixties,” said Trent Morse.

According to NBC Washington, mobile lounges were involved in 16 accidents during a 10-year period between 2007-2017, including one fatal crash.

The latest incident took place amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has caused flight delays and long queues at US airports.

The Trump administration has ordered 40 airports, including Dulles, to reduce air traffic by 10% due to staffing shortages.