During a press conference, authorities stated that the investigation is underway, but they did not want to speculate on the causes of the dramatic and unusual accident, which has not resulted in any fatalities so far.
Videos recorded by passengers moments after the accident show them exiting the fuselage, which was inverted. The footage reveals that the plane had lost its wings and a fire had started, although emergency services quickly sprayed fire-retardant liquid on the fuselage.
The plane, a Mitsubishi CRJ900 manufactured by the Canadian company Bombardier 16 years ago, is a variant of the CRJ700 model from American Airlines, which collided with a military helicopter in Washington in January, resulting in the death of 67 people.
Although for several hours the authorities at Pearson Airport, Canada's largest and one of the busiest in North America, suspended all takeoff and landing operations, by Monday night, activities had resumed.
While authorities did not want to speculate on the possible causes of the accident, leaked control tower conversations to the media indicate that controllers had warned the Delta plane of possible turbulence during landing caused by another aircraft.
Weather conditions do not seem to be the cause of the accident. Despite heavy snowfall in Toronto since last Thursday, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights and widespread delays at Pearson Airport, conditions had improved on Monday.
At the time of the accident, the temperature was -9 degrees Celsius with gusts of wind but no snowfall and only a few clouds.