KUALA LUMPUR — A small plane used as an air ambulance crashed near a shopping mall in Philadelphia, US, with “multiple” casualties on the ground reported, wire agencies said.
Several houses and cars were set on fire after a huge explosion was sighted upon impact with the ground, Reuters said citing local media.
The incident occurred about two hours ago, at 6.30 pm local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA said there are six people on board the private aircraft, a Learjet 55.
First responders on the ground were quoted by CBS News saying that the six people were two doctors, two pilots, a patient and one other person.
Operator Jet Rescue Air Ambulance confirmed that there were six people on board the Philadelphia plane which crashed: a child patient, their escort, and four crew members.
Local authorities have not confirmed any number of fatalities but said “several injuries” are reported on the ground.
FAA also said the plane had departed from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was flying en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
The crash was near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia and the weather at the time of the crash was cold and rainy with low visibility.
The area, where the crash happened, is a densely residential neighborhood and packed with rows of rowhomes, CBS News said.
The crash follows the collision of an American Airlines passenger plane and a US Army Black awk helicopter over Washington DC two days ago which killed 67 people.
One video on social media, recorded by a doorbell camera, shows the plane already on fire in the air before hitting the ground.
A car’s dash cam video shows it descending in a streak of white light and exploding into a fireball upon impact.
Another video closer to the impact site captured a man walking or staggering with his clothes on fire.
Local US television stations also showed streets littered with debris.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, in its statement posted on LinkedIn, said it was not confirming any survivors at the moment.
It would also not release any names of those on board the flight “until family members have been notified”.
“Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground,” the company said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker told a press conference about two hours after the crash that officials could not yet provide a number of fatalities. “
FAA, meanwhile, said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash. – February 1, 2025