new orleans suddenly heard the sound of an explosion. an engine problem and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. 99 terrified passengers are okay tonight and are describing what it was like when something went very wrong. >> reporter: a terrifying moment in the sky. >> we were kind of just zoned out and then all of a sudden it was that huge, loud noise. >> reporter: what sounded like an explosion on a southwest florida from orlando. the pilot diverted the plane and made an emergency landing in pensacola. >> this is a boeing 737 in emergency status. >> i was crying, especially after all was said and done and hearing how it could have been way worse. >> reporter: the boeing 737 landed safely carrying 99 passengers and 5 crew members. in a statement, southwest said it was a, quote, mechanical issue with the number one engine. photos taken aboard show the engine completely ripped away. southwest told us they 2000. >> we're definitely grateful we were still safe and watched over and we had good pilots. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board now investigating this engine failure. southwest believes this was an isolated incident. the airline refunding customers the cost of a flight and providing a $500 voucher for future travel for a trip they won't soon forget. chicago's wave of deadly violence has taken the life of dwyane wade's cousin. the shooting happened just one day after wade town hall about the city's violence epidemic that's taken hundreds of lives. >> we might have a person shot over here. >> reporter: hot shell casings on the ground and a community reeling once again. >> it's like there's no end to it. it just keeps going on and on and on and on. >> reporter: a weeping mother leaning on her sister for support. >> decided to find its >> reporter: knee -- nikita aldridge pushed her baby in a stroller on chicago's south side after registering her kids at school shot once in the head, once in the arm. aldridge caught in the crossfire when two men aimed at a third. >> what i heard was the gunshots first. >> reporter: a scene that's all too common, but this time gaining cousin of dwyane wade. my cousin was killed today in chicago, he tweeted. four kids lost their mom for no reason. just the day with before -- >> can i say one more thing? >> reporter: wade spoke on a panel about chicago's gun violence, asking the city to come together. >> it is deep rooted and this is something that didn't start today. it's not going to end tomorrow. >> reporter: unfortunately tomorrow came too soon for identified. her baby alive, but alone. just hundreds of children who become casualties of chicago's violence. 449 people have been shot in chicago since the beginning of this year. almost half of them kids. struck while doing everyday kid stuff like riding with dad on father's day or even drawing on the sidewalk or holding their mother's hands. >> it's a stunning, astonishing tragic number. the fact is this is genocide befor a blind eye today. >> reporter: as for nikita aldridge -- >> she just wanted to have a better life. >> reporter: one that was taken far too soon. tonight, we're keeping a close eye on what's happening in the caribbean. several tropical systems are threatening to bring a lot of rain to florida and the gulf. >> that's right, jose. we're tracking several states from the gulf of mexico to the atlantic. now passing through the florida straits. once it gets to the warm waters of the gulf of mexico it could explode into a tropical storm or maybe even a hurricane. lots of uncertainty with this forecast. the entire gulf coast needs to be on alert over the next few days. we've had flooding concerns already. up to another 6 inches of rain is possible in south florida and much rain across louisiana as well. lastly, one has the potential to become a the next few days approaching the carolina coast. we'll be watching that one closely as well. those developing systems carry another potential danger as well, further fueling the zika threat in this country. while communities in florida prepare, thousands in the midwest are dealing with the aftermath of another severe weather system. >> reporter: with more than 40 people in florida already affected by the zika virus, growing fears increase the threat. the soaking will put spraying on hold, wash away existing pesticides, and create more of the perfect mosquito breeding grounds -- standing water. >> look at your property, drain it, cover it so we don't have an excess number of mosquitos. >> reporter: not just a recommendation, miami beach is threatening fines starting at $1,000 if homeowners and businesses don't do their part. >> if any property owner doesn't comply, they will begin enforcement. >> reporter: indiana was slammed by record rain and storms friday night, the water taking many by surprise. halle became stranded when her car started floating down a flooded overpass. >> decided to kick my door in and get out. thank god i didn't have my daughter in the car. she is only one and a half. >> reporter: around indianapolis, gusting winds toppled power lines and started about a half foot of rain in the kansas city. entire neighborhoods under water. this is what it looked like driving during the deluge. rising water turned roads into rivers. drivers were stranded all over the area. here in miami they're bracing for heavy rain and it could last for several days. today public works employees opening every storm drain throughout the city, emptying them out in anticipation of what's to come. jose, back to you. just over ten weeks until election day and it seems most presidential candidates are trying the same strategy this weekend. keep the focus on the opponent. we have two reports for you tonight starting with jacob rascon covering the donald trump campaign. jacob? >> reporter: good evening. donald trump tonight campaigning in iowa, attacking hillary clinton, appealing to minority voters, and attempting to clarify his immigration policy. locked in a dead heat in the heartland, >> how quickly people have forgot that hillary clinton called black youth super predators. >> reporter: the rhetoric boiling over in recent days. >> hillary clinton is a bigot. >> reporter: iowa republican senator joni ernst says she's heard enough. >> hillary rodham clinton has done some pretty ugly some things too. i wish both of our candidates would tone >> reporter: many bikers solidly behind trump. many others said they wish he would throttle back. >> what would he have to do to get your vote? >> he has to change how he talks to people. >> reporter: trump's minority outreach repeatedly criticized as tone deaf. >> to the african-american parents, you have a right to walk down the street of your city without having your child or yourself after the fatal shooting of dwyane wade's cousin, trump tweeted just what i've been saying. african-americans will vote trump. >> so we send our thoughts and prayers to the family. >> reporter: trump today unexpectedly talking immigration policy. >> we're going to build a great wall on the border, and we're going to institute nationwide e-verify, stop illegal immigrants from accessing welfare and entitlements. >> reporter: the candidate still won't pull away. nbc news, des moines, iowa. >> reporter: i'm kasey hunt in new york, where hillary clinton stopped by an fbi office near her home for a classified intelligence briefing. standard for presidential nominees similar to the one donald trump had earlier this month. clinton's briefing came despite republican calls to stop it, but she didn't bring top aides she was secretary of state drew scrutiny from the fbi. >> there is evidence there were extremely careless in their handling of highly sensitive classified information. >> reporter: on thursday, the judge said the state department has until september 13th to release e-mails uncovered during the fbi's investigation and donald trump is keeping up the pressure. >> i hear the nsa maybe has the e-mails. a lot of people say the nsa would have the e-mails if they really wanted to get them. obviously they don't want to get them. >> dontr prejudice and paranoia. >> reporter: the clinton campaign trying to keep the focus on trump. their allies working to expand the map to states like arizona and georgia as other battleground states shift clinton's way. >> a couple of the states that were really close have actually moved into pretty safer territory. virginia is one. colorado is one. >> reporter: polls show voters on both sides are fed up with the tone of the race. or what she thinks of them. i want to know their stances on issues, and i want them to explain it in a way that's respectful. >> reporter: in this group of eight voters, only two said they'd be proud of their vote. clinton running mate tim kaine spending quite a bit of time reaching out to spanish-speaking voters in states like florida over the weekend. clinton herself off the trail raising money in the hamptons. jose? >> thank you very much. a programming note. republ priebus will be on "meet the press" tomorrow to address many of the topics with chuck todd. overseas, this was a national day of mourning in italy. the death toll from the past week's devastating earthquake now at almost 300. today a funeral was held for 35 of the victims. >> reporter: italy buried its dead today. the youngest 9-year-old julia. she died shielding her grieve and to remember, to comfort, hold, and bid farewell. a sweltering gym transformed into a makeshift chapel. before the bodies were returned to their hometowns for final good-byes. the search continues, but hope is all but gone. among those who remain behind -- >> i don't think that the town will be any more that town. it's fhe >> reporter: he buried four of his relatives. >> two uncles and two cousins. they remained under the house. >> reporter: the youngest was 14. a town that withstood the test of time for centuries turned to rubble in an instant, and now this sea of tents is all these people have to call home. the question is for how long. little sofia was born horror. her father will never forget. it was chaos, he tells me. the walls crumbled. everything is gone. i was lucky, he says. so many others died. but even here light and life amid the destruction. authorities say more than 2500 people have been left homeless by this earthquake. many are raising questions about whether more should have been done to protect both people and buildings. there's also growing concern about what quake strikes again. jose? >> thank you very much. still ahead tonight, going deep underground with the u.s. border patrol as they try to stop smugglers. s ur is 22 pages long. did you read every word? no, only lawyers do that. so when you got rear-ended and needed a tow, your insurance company told you to look at page five on your policy. did it say "great news. you're covered!" on page five? no. it said, "blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah..." the liberty mutual app with coverage compass? makes it easy to know what you're covered for and what you're not. liberty stands with you. hey, it's the phillips' lady! there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try these delicious phillips' fiber good gummies, a good source of fiber to help support regularity. mmmm. these are great. my work here is done. phillips'. the tasty side of fiber. the first person to survive alzheimer's disease is out there. and the alzheimer's association is going to make it happen by funding scientific breakthroughs, advancing public policy, but we won't get there without you. visit alz.org to join the fight. a border wall between the u.s. and mexico has become part of the national conversation, especially this election season, but sealing the border isn't as simple as what's on the surface. we went underground to meet the u.s. border patrol's self-described tunnel rats. >> reporter: on the surface, deterrents are clear. steel and razor wire. signs in mexico to stay out. but underneath -- >> not a job for the claustrophobic. >> reporter: we met the u.s. border patrol team tasked with ton of cocaine off the streets, that's a huge win for us. >> reporter: they call themselves tunnel rats, an homage to the vietnam-era soldiers charged with infiltrating the viet cong's extensive underground network. >> you never know what you're going to see. >> reporter: we found furnish cracks where the smugglers are trying to bore through the concrete pipe. chip through the concrete, get to dirt, and then just simply tunnel out. >> reporter: other tunnels built on cartel contracts can cost millions. this is the galvez tunnel 70 feet underground. and it's what's considered a sophisticated tunnel. electricity, ventilation, and in some cases even a rail system. when found, the tunnels are destroyed. the rat pack leader says new ones are getting longer and narrower. this tunnel 2700 feet long but just 3 feet wide. >> it's more efficient too. you can build it in dark, dirty, and sometimes dangerous job. >> you're going to have to trust the other guys. at no point am i ever in fear of my life. >> reporter: tunnel rats out of sight protecting a border from below. when we come back, a whistle-blower is on the run. is the russian's government hunting for her in the united states? 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>> translator: yes, yes. this is exactly what we have in mind. >> reporter: two years ago, she and her husband, a former anti-doping officer, exposed the widespread use of banned substances in russian sports on the german tv channel ard. dozens of russian competitions. a spokesman from president vladimir putin called her a judas. >> translator: to call us traitors is not right. >> i personally do believe we are trying to do the right thing for sports, for athletes. >> reporter: we met the couple and their 3-year-old son for a rare interview. they're hiding here in the u.s., but their secret location has just been exposed. her online account at the world anti-doping agency, wada, which keeps track of her address, was hacked. there's no proof yet who broke in, but one main suspect because at the same time other wada members were bombarded with e-mails containing malware. experts say it is the work of hackers with close ties to russian intelligence, the same ones in fact who hacked the democratic party earlier this year. >> they have a habit infrastructure that we have seen used in this most recent incident. >> reporter: russian officials approached by nbc news would not comment. the family now live like fugitives. they're staying with a friend until they can find a new place to hide. >> translator: it is hard. it is hard to move all the time. we would like to finally live quietly. the big surprise for 50 young gymnasts just a year after tragedy struck. with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. . with humira, control is possible. ?? some relationships you stick with. over time, they get even better. that's why more people stick with humana medicare advantage. we work together with you to find the best plan, however your needs might change. humana medicare advantage. the plan people stick with. i love my shop, but my back pain was making it hard to sleep and open up on time. then i found aleve pm. the only one to combine a sleep aid plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. now i'm back. finally tonight, the story of a second chance for a group of young gymnasts in oklahoma a tornado last year appeared to put their dreams on hold. instead it taught them a lesson of a lifetime. >> reporter: for sheridan ramsey, strength is a balancing act. >> thought you couldn't get through. >> reporter: she is among the 50 gymnasts whose strength last year was tested. >> when the tornado hit, that was the scariest part because it sounded like thunder hit the building. >> reporter: jennifer patterson is the gym's founder. >> my first thought is the kids are safe. >> reporter: credited with saving the children's lives by huddling them in the basement minutes firefighters swept in carrying the terrified girls to safety one by one. >> it is sad, but you know what? we're going to be bigger and better than ever, aren't we? >> reporter: but since then, with no permanent space, practice has been a struggle. the future of the gym up in the air. the girls told replacing the building could take four years. >> i'm thinking some of these girls may not ever get to experience that if it takes that long. >> it seems like fore >> reporter: though on this day, as the students are bussed to what they think is a birthday at an established studio in town, they have no idea that a local businessman with a $1 million donation will allow them to keep this gym for themselves. the moment it dawns on sheridan ramsey and her friends means more than any medal. >> they never lost hope. and when you have yourself, miracles can happen. >> it has definitely made me love the sport even more now that i know i am stronger than a tornado. >> reporter: a lesson learned off the mat that sometimes the most powerful type of strength is resilience. and that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm jose diaz balart reporting from new york. thank you for the privilege of your time. good night. art reporting from new york. thank you for the our big story tonight on 12 news at 6:00, the grand opening and dedication of the kayla playground at pioneer park in prescott, built in memory of kayla mueller, an aid captured and killed by isis, trisha hendricks brings us the details from prescott. >> reporter: at the special and emotional grand opening, dalea's father, carl, said kayla would be so proud to know she is bringing so much joy to so many families. ? ? >> reporter: a time of song and prayer, and a beautiful balloon release, in honor of kayla the grand opening of kayla's playground. >> it is an amazing day, something we worked for for a long, long time. >> reporter: kayla's parents know this is exactly what she would want in the community, a zip line, and climbing equipment. >> for me, it is like closing a really big book that you just read. you know? and now i can just sit back and enjoy it, spend some time here, watch the kids. >> strength. >> reporter: a place for people to come together and learn about human kindness, what kayla's life was about. senator mccain spoke powerful words. >> a way of love, to love and be loved in moments of joy and sorrow, in happiness and suffering, to always, always love. >> reporter: those who helped make this new playground possible, emotional at times.

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