Small medevac plane crashes in Philadelphia with 6 year old girl, her mother and 4 others on board
A medevac plane crashed soon after takeoff in Philadelphia on Friday with a child and five others on board, the air ambulance company that operated it said, adding that it had not confirmed any survivors.
Jet
Rescue Air Ambulance, based in Mexico and licensed to operate in the
U.S., said its aircraft crashed with four crew members, one pediatric
medical patient and the patient's mother on board. "At this time we cannot confirm any survivors," the company said in a statement.
State
and local officials said late on Friday they could not yet confirm how
many people may have died on the ground after the plane slammed into a
heavily populated portion of the city. Videos taken by witnesses of the
crash clearly showed body parts strewn about the streets and inside
nearby homes. The Mexican government said all those on the plane were Mexican nationals, CNN reported.
The
child was a girl on her way home with a final destination of Tijuana,
Shai Gold, who works on corporate strategy with Jet Rescue Air
Ambulance, told CNN. Her mother was also aboard, he said. "We
are terribly shocked by this tragic turn of events," Gold said. "This
was a very seasoned crew. We are a leading air ambulance company, we fly
600 to 700 times a year."
He
said the company had invested heavily in maintaining its aircraft to
the highest international standards and that the plane that crashed had
been in excellent flying condition. "We really don't know what happened," Gold said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told a press conference at the crash scene that "we know there will be loss in this region." "We want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those that are grieving at this moment," Shapiro said.
President
Donald Trump wrote on social media that it was "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."
The crash follows this week's collision of an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C., which killed 67 in the deadliest airplane crash in the U.S. since 2009.
The
Federal Aviation Administration said six people were on the Learjet 55
that crashed around 6:30 p.m. (0030 GMT) on Friday. Local media reported
it was near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia and that there
were multiple injuries on the ground.
Video aired on local TV stations showed the plane in a sharp dive before hitting the ground and exploding in a massive fireball.
Philadelphia
Mayor Cherelle Parker told a press conference at the scene that several
houses and cars had been engulfed in flames. She said the situation is
"all hands on deck, that's where we are right now."
Officials
said it was not clear what led to the crash. The weather was cold and
rainy and with low visibility when the plane went down.
The
air ambulance had left Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was headed to
Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, about 1,100 miles
(1,800 km) to the southwest, the FAA said in a statement.
A
large fire and several fire trucks were visible at the crash scene in
images broadcast by the Philadelphia CBS affiliate. About two hours
after the crash the fires were mostly out, according to TV images.
The Philadelphia police and fire departments did not respond to requests for comment.
No comments
Thanks for viewing, your comments are appreciated.
Disclaimer: Comments on this blog are NOT posted by Olomo TIMES, Readers are SOLELY responsible for their comments.
Need to contact us for gossips, news reports, adverts or anything?
Email us on; olomoinfo@gmail.com