More than 100 feared killed in airliner plunge

UPDATE 5am: FOUR passengers on board the plane that crashed in Cuba have survived but they are in critical condition, according to Cuban state-run media Granma.

Reports close to the event indicate fears more than 100 passengers were killed in the crash.

Passenger plane crashes in Cuba

EARLIER: A BOEING 737 passenger plane has reportedly crashed after takeoff from Havana, Cuba.

CBS is reporting it appears to be an internal flight operated by the state airline Cubana.

The plane reportedly took off from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana with 104 passengers.

State television and websites said the plane was headed to the eastern city of Holguin and crashed between the airport in southern Havana and the nearby town of Santiago de las Vegas.

Cuban state-run website Cubadebate says it was not yet known if there were any casualties.

Images on TV and social media showed a large plume of black smoke above the airport.  

The plane lay in a farm field and appeared heavily damaged and burnt, with firefighters spraying water on its smouldering remains.  

Government officials including President Miguel Diaz-Canel rushed to the site, along with a large number of emergency medical workers and ambulances.  

Residents of the rural area said they had seen some survivors being taken away in ambulances.  

The plane was rented by Cubana, which has taken many of its ageing planes out of service in recent months due to mechanical problems.