At least five people have been killed and five others injured after an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport in the United States.

The Boeing 767-300 freighter, operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon, crashed shortly before 2pm local time on Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

According to US authorities, the aircraft overshot the runway, crossed a nearby road and struck several vehicles before catching fire.

Miami-Dade County officials confirmed that five people died in the incident, while five others were injured. Three of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Emergency responders battled the blaze and worked to rescue people trapped in the aircraft and vehicles hit by the plane. The pilot and co-pilot were initially trapped in the cockpit, while rescue crews also had to extricate a person pinned beneath a vehicle.

The identities of those killed and injured had not immediately been released.

The crash forced authorities to temporarily halt operations at Miami International Airport, with all runways and taxiways initially closed as emergency crews responded to the incident.

The disruption caused widespread flight delays and cancellations, with airport authorities advising passengers to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched investigations into the crash to determine what caused the aircraft to overrun the runway.

The NTSB said a team led by its chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, was being sent to investigate the incident. Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s landing, runway conditions, weather and other factors that may have contributed to the accident.

Reports said the aircraft was travelling at about 112 knots, or 129 miles per hour, when it landed and subsequently ran beyond the usable runway area. However, investigators have yet to establish the exact cause of the crash.

Amazon expressed condolences to the families of those who died and said the company was focused on supporting those affected by the incident while cooperating with investigators.

The crash has renewed attention on runway safety at one of the United States’ busiest international airports, as investigators begin work to establish what went wrong during the aircraft’s landing.