the airplane, including many small fires on the water. Passengers stated that they escaped through large holes in the cabin. The lead flight attendant and first officer escaped through a hole in the cabin floor near the flight attendant's position. Several passengers reported assisting others out of the cabin and into the knee-deep water. Many of them walked in the water to the dike, climbed up the wall and over an embankment, and slid down a steep hill to the runway. Others were assisted out of the water by ground personnel. Rescue attempts, medical operation The tower cab coordinator on duty at the time of the accident stated that he saw a fireball emanating from the crash site following the accident. Upon seeing the flames, he sounded an alarm, alerting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, who responded. An investigation revealed that technical issues existed with an emergency telephone at LaGuardia, however it was found that these issues did not hinder the emergency response. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department initially sent four vehicles. Personnel in these vehicles reported that snow and fog hampered their visibility while heading to the crash site, and they could not see the destroyed aircraft. One member of the fire crew, though, observed people standing on top of a dike near the crash site. Police divers also entered the water following the crash, although they found no one alive inside the jet or in the water. The firefighters continued spraying the fire, and the incident commander estimated that they had the fire under control 10 minutes after their arrival at the scene. The New York Times reported that: The accident sent thick, black smoke billowing above the airport as more than 200 emergency workers ... had to contend not only with blustery snow, but [also] the powerful icy current in Flushing Bay ... the tense drama of the rescue continued into the early hours, with firefighters and police officers in water up to their shoulders and helicopters shining spotlights on the wreckage and an ice-covered mound of earth at the end of the runway so slick, the rescue workers needed metal ladders to walk across it. The NTSB report on the accident noted, but did not criticize, the medical operation at the scene. It described how paramedics attended to those who were conscious with life-threatening injuries,