A mother last night spoke of her anguish after hearing that the plane carrying her four-year-old daughter and husband had crashed after over-shooting a runway in Jamaica.

Kayla McCarthy and her father Hopeton McCarthy were on the American Airlines flight from Miami to Norman Manley International Airport, in Kingston, when it overshot the runway in heavy rain on Tuesday night.

The plane's fuselage was cracked, its right engine broke off from the impact and the left main landing gear collapsed. Forty-four of the 148 passengers were injured.

The McCarthy's were going to visit Mr. McCarthy's terminally ill father in Jamaica and in the immediate aftermath of the crash the child was separated from her Jamaican father, who was injured by falling luggage.

Last night her mother, Terri McCarthy told The Royal Gazette everyone was holding up well now, but initially she had been scared when she received a phone call about the crash.

Mrs. McCarthy, who works at Bermuda Forwarders, stayed on the Island this Christmas while her husband took Kayla to spend time with his father.

But before the family reunion could take place the American Airlines flight 331 skidded across a causeway road after the plane failed to come to a stop on the airport's runway.

The plane ended up on an grassy embankment, with its mangled nose just ten feet from the ocean.

Kayla escaped unhurt from the crash, but her father has lost several front teeth, split his lips and received cuts to his nose from falling luggage.

Mrs. McCarthy said: "I was waiting for my husband to call me to tell me they had arrived safely. I kept calling his cell phone but no one answered. Then his brother called me and I could hear all the ambulances in the background.

"At first they said they couldn't find Kayla and I was like 'what do you mean?'

"My friend's daughter checked the Internet while I was the on the phone and read that there were no fatalities, which is when I calmed down. They found Kayla soon after."

Mr. McCarthy was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries before being released. However, he went back to hospital yesterday as he was still bleeding from his nose.

"Kayla was very chirpy last night she didn't seem to notice at all," Mrs. McCarthy said. "But today she is sad and upset because her daddy is hurt. I think my husband is still shaken up."

Initial reports are pointing to bad weather as the cause of the accident and passengers told the Associated Press the jet skidded after touchdown and there was panic in the cabin.

Gerard Arpey, American Airline's Chairman and CEO, said: "The care of our passengers and crew members is our highest priority and we will offer all the assistance necessary."

A spokesman added that American Airlines was in direct contact with officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and was cooperating fully with appropriate authorities.

The company said it did not release passenger lists unless there are fatalities, so that friends and loved ones may check the list. Because there were no fatalities, they said they are unlikely to release the list.

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