Terrified passengers aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Florida feared “it was the end” when one of the plane’s wheels broke off during a hard landing in a frightening moment caught on camera. Frontier Flight 5306 was on final approach to San Juan, Puerto Rico when the 228-passenger plane touched down at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport before quickly climbing back up on April 15. During the first landing attempt, the Airbus A321 suffered a “mechanical problem” resulting in one of the wheels tearing off the front landing gear, Puerto...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico was hit with a massive power failure on Wednesday after energy plants across the island unexpectedly shut down, the power generator Genera said. Puerto Rico has long dealt with chronic power interruptions, including a blackout last New Year's Eve, as its infrastructure crumbles. Genera added in a post on X that it was working to bring backup units online and investigate what caused the problem. The energy distribution company LUMA Energy said the power went out around 12:40 p.m. local time. As of...

Crews in the Carolinas are continuing to battle major wildfires that have scorched hundreds of acres, forced evacuations and destroyed homes. The Table Rock fire, which ignited Friday, has grown to more than 1,300 acres with no containment, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said in an update on X Sunday night Tractor crews and hand crews were constructing fire lines to contain the inferno, Pickens County said in an update on its website. Debris left behind by Hurricane Helene was hindering access to some areas. Another large wildfire is burning...

Professor Maritza Barreto Orta had planned to complete two federal funding applications crucial for her research on coastal erosion in Puerto Rico. However, these funding opportunities “disappeared” from the websites of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) due to new policies imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. These policies limit funding for academic research on climate change.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean. When the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is discussed or taught in schools here in the continental U.S. (though that subject is currently under attack by the racist Trump administration), rarely is the U.S. colony of Puerto Rico part of the discussion. While enslaved people were freed here in the states via the Emancipation...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday investigated a fuel spill off the tiny Puerto Rican island of Vieques, which is popular with tourists. A mile-long sheen and a strong diesel odor was reported by local emergency medical officials on Friday afternoon along Sun Ray Beach, which is known for its clear, turquoise waters.

At least one person was exposed to the unknown substance and received treatment, the Coast Guard said Friday.

Authorities urged people to stay out of the water.

A New Fortress Energy subsidiary that manages power plants in Puerto Rico is foregoing the potential of almost $900 million in performance bonuses over the next decade in exchange for a one-time payment as the company scrambles for cash.

Genera, which has managed generating plants on the island since 2023, said Monday it would receive $110 million in exchange for walking away from future incentive payments of up to $100 million a year.

• Puerto Rico's tourism industry is booming, but it's causing environmental and cultural concerns. • Efforts are underway to promote tourism beyond San Juan, encouraging visitors to explore the entire island. • Local communities are advocating for sustainable tourism practices to protect the environment and preserve Puerto Rican culture. On any given Friday, La Placita – in the neighborhood of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico – is packed with partygoers drinking on the street shoulder-to-shoulder as they hop from one bar to another. It’s a cacophony of music and...

Search and rescue teams in Puerto Rico are searching for an American tourist who was reported missing in the tropical rainforest of El Yunque, according to multiple reports. The Associated Press reported Monday that Abdur Rahman, 64, was hiking with a group when he became separated from them on Sunday. Puerto Rico's emergency and disaster agency said on social media Monday it is continuing to search for "a person reported as lost yesterday in El Yunque," and that groups are searching the Rio Grande and Naguabo areas, in addition to...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Haiti’s children are increasingly caught in the crossfire of gang violence, forced to carry weapons, spy on police and rival gangs and run errands for gunmen, according to a report released Wednesday by Amnesty International. One of 51 children interviewed by the human rights group said he was constantly pressured by a gang to fight alongside it. “They killed people in front of me and asked me to burn their bodies. But I don’t have the heart for that,” the unidentified boy was quoted...