Wreckage of crashed Air Canada plane being cleared from LaGuardia Airport runway
Since Monday, much of the wreckage had remained on the tarmac, blocking access to one of LaGuardia's two runways at one of the country's busiest airports.
All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday's deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck have been released from the hospital, the airline said Wednesday, as crews began moving the mangled aircraft off the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement provided to CBS News that it was working to have the runway reopened by "no later than Friday morning."
"With the removal of the plane and truck, we are reviewing the condition of the runway to ensure it meets FAA regulations and can be re-opened safely," the spokesperson said, adding that the truck was moved to a "secure location as evidence" in the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the crash.
In its own statement earlier Wednesday, Air Canada said that the plane's debris had been released by authorities. It said its crews would "move the aircraft as soon as it is safe, to a secured hangar."
Air Canada added that it was cooperating with the NTSB's investigation.