A small medical evacuation plane reportedly carrying six people on board, including a child, crashed in the US city of Philadelphia, bursting into a ball of flames and setting multiple homes on fire, authorities said, adding there were reports of casualties and injuries.
In a statement, air ambulance company Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said the aircraft crashed with four crew members, one paediatric medical patient and the patient's escort on board, news agency Reuters reported.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash occurred on Friday evening near Roosevelt Mall.
The incident came just days after the deadly mid-air collision involving a passenger plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington airport, killing 67 people.
In a statement, the FAA said the Learjet 55 aircraft crashed "after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport". The plane was heading to the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
Also confirming the crash, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said "there were reportedly 6 people on board" and that the incident will be jointly investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said, "So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all."
Friday's crash site is less than 5 km from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which mainly handles business jets and charter flights. Philadelphia’s emergency management office described the crash as a “major incident” and confirmed road closures in the area.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker told reporters that she did not have information on the numbers of victims. The situation is "all hands on deck, that's where we are right now", she was quoted as saying.
A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper said at least one house and multiple cars were on fire, while visibility was low due to rain at the time of the crash.
Flight data showed the aircraft taking off from the airport at 6.06 pm (local time) and disappearing from radar about 30 seconds later after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet.
According to the Flight Aware tracking website, the plane was registered with a company operating as Med Jets.
Source: Reuters