More than 100 killed in Cuba plane crash

Cuban President said an investigation into the cause of the accident was underway. Pic/AFP

A Cuban state airways plane with 110 passengers and crew on board crashed shortly after taking off from Havana, killing all but three people on board in what appeared to be Cuba's worst air disaster in nearly 30 years.

Cuban state media reported that three women had been pulled alive from the mangled wreckage and were in critical condition in hospital. They were the only known survivors from the nearly 40-year-old Boeing 737, operated by Cubana de Aviacion. It crashed into a field close to a wooded area near Jose Marti airport, sending a thick column of acrid smoke into the air.

The 110 people aboard included six Mexican crew, said the Mexico-based company that leased the plane, Global Air, also known as Aerolineas Damojh. Two victims were Argentine, the country's foreign ministry said. Most of the others were Cuban, according to state media. The plane - carrying 104 passengers - was almost completely destroyed in the crash and subsequent fire.Cuba declared two days of national mourning.