A Delta jet which skidded off the runway at Laguardia airport is seen jutting above a dyke in New York City March 5, 2015, in a photo provided by the New York Police Department. A Delta Air Lines jetliner with 125 passengers and five crew members aboard slid off the runway upon landing during a snowstorm at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, but officials said there were no serious injuries. [Photo/Agencies]

Passengers walk from a Delta jet which skidded off the runway at LaGuardia airport in a photo provided by New York Giants NFL tight end Larry Donnell in New York City March 5, 2015. A Delta Air Lines plane slid off the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday during a snowstorm, NY 1 television and other media reported on Thursday. [Photo/Agencies]

A passenger is wheeled on a stretcher through Terminal D by emergency medical services workers at LaGuardia Airport in New York March 5, 2015. A Delta Air Lines jetliner with 125 passengers and five crew members aboard slid off the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday during a snowstorm, but there were no reported serious injuries, officials said. [Photo/Agencies]

Delta flight 1086 is seen after it slid off the runway upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport March 5, 2015. The Delta Air Lines jetliner landing during a snowstorm at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday slid off the runway and struck a fence before coming to rest at the edge of Flushing Bay, but there were no serious injuries. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - A Delta Air Lines Inc jet landing during a snowstorm at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday slid off the runway and struck a fence before coming to rest on a snow-covered embankment just feet from the frigid waters of Flushing Bay.

None of the 127 passengers and five crew members were seriously injured as Delta flight 1086 from Atlanta skidded on the tarmac at about 11 am EST (1600 GMT). Images on local media showed the plane's nose had pushed through a chain-link fence and was jutting out over an embankment.

LaGuardia, the smallest of the New York area's three major airports, was immediately closed after the mishap. By the time its runways started to reopen at about 2:30 pm EST, air traffic was snarled throughout the US East Coast and beyond. Hundreds of flights were canceled at LaGuardia, compounding weather-related travel disruptions in many parts of the country.

"I think the pilot did everything he could to slow the aircraft down," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airport's operator. "Obviously, the pilot's and the co-pilot's good efforts were reflected in the fact that there were only minor injuries."

After exit slides failed to deploy properly, passengers were forced to disembark by climbing over a wing with the help of emergency responders, Foye said at a news conference.

There were only two minor injuries reported, he said, though that number may change.

One of those on board was Larry Donnell, a professional football player with the New York Giants.

"We were all shocked and alarmed when the plane started to skid, but most importantly, as far as I know, all of the passengers and flight crew were able to exit the plane safely," the tight end said in a statement released by the team.