A Delta Air Lines plane crashed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Monday (Feb 17), hours after airport officials warned of hazardous snow-covered conditions. According to an aviation expert, strong winds and icy weather may have caused the plane, which was arriving from Minnesota, to flip over after landing.

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Following a weekend snowstorm, that brought 22cm of snow at the Toronto Airport, officials issued a warning stating that they were working to clear the icy runway to ensure safe takeoffs and landings.

Hours before the plane crash, Toronto Pearson Airport, in a post on X, said, “Here's a look at part of our airfield this morning as the clean up continues from this weekend's storm.”

“Our crews worked all weekend to keep the roughly 5 million square meters of airfield clear of snow to keep planes arriving and departing safely,” the post read.

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“Today, we're expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travellers on board around 1,000 flights,” it added. “Our airfield team has continued their work throughout the night to clear critical areas so planes can safely arrive and depart."

Also read: Delta plane crash: 'I'm upside down,' says survivor as videos from ground zero show stunning visuals

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'Relieved there are no casualties' 

Delta said its connection flight operated by Endeavor had been "involved in an incident," and promised to share further details as it confirmed them. 

No casualties have been reported in the incident, but the toll of the wounded has since reached 18.

"Initial reports were that there are no fatalities," an airline spokesperson said.

Facebook user John Nelson, who said he was a passenger on the flight, posted a video showing the crashed aircraft and wrote: "Our plane crashed. It's upside down."

"Most people appear to be okay. We're all getting off," he added. 

Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed there were 80 people on the flight. "I'm closely following the serious incident at the Pearson Airport involving Delta Airlines flight 4819 from Minneapolis," she posted on X. 

Meanwhile, Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken said at a press conference on Monday, “The cause of the crash is still under investigation and being led by the Transportation Safety Board. It’s not appropriate for us to comment at this time”. 

“The runway was dry and there was no cross-wind conditions,” he added. 

(With inputs from agencies)