Casualties reported as small plane crashes in Philadelphia (Image: Getty)
A little girl is among in Pennsylvania, in the second
The youngster had been travelling with her mother and four others when their Learjet 55, a type of medical transport jet, crashed into homes in Northeastern Philadelphia. It is understood that the child, who lives in Mexico, had come to the US for the treatment of a life-threatening condition, and was on her way home when tragedy struck.
The medical transport with the flight’s operator Jet Rescue Air Ambulance later confirming that sadly there were no survivors from the passengers and crew on board.
In addition, further casualties – and fatalities – are feared among those living in the houses along Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, which is where the deadly crash happened.
Emergency services are currently hard at work in Northeastern Philadelphia, where “an active scene under investigation”, following a major incident declaration issued by authorities at around 6pm on Friday.
Since then, shocked witnesses in the Pennsylvania city have been recounting the terrifying experience. Michael Schiavone, aged 37, heard a loud bang and his house shook. Comparing it to a mini earthquake and when he checked his home security camera footage, he said it looked like a missile was coming down. He said: “There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second.”
The harrowing incident comes just two days on since a fatal air crash rocked the US, when an American Airlines flight carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers, in Washington DC. Sadly there were no survivors.
Follow our live blog below for updates on the Philadelphia crash
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Eyewitnesses recall horrific scenes after crash
Witnesses at the scene of the latest devastating air tragedy to rock America have described the horror of the situation, with “body parts everywhere”.
The crash occurred just after 6 p.m. on Friday night, a mere 30 seconds after the plane had taken off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to recordings from Air Traffic Control.
The crash site is less than 3 miles from the airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. Philadelphia’s emergency management office said there was a “major incident” at the location of the crash site and that roads are closed in the area.
Six people injured including 11 year old boy
In addition to the six fatalities, a further six people have so far been injured following a plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday, as confirmed by a source to NBC10. None of the injured were passengers on the plane.
All six victims were transported to Temple University Hospital’s Jeanes Campus. Three of them have been treated and discharged, while the remaining three are still in the hospital.
The injured include an 11-year-old boy with head injuries, a 31-year-old man also with head injuries, and a 30-year-old woman with facial injuries.
Air traffic controller audio emerges
CNN has obtained audio between the air traffic controller and the plane after the collision, in which the controller asks: “Medevac med service, northeast tower. Medevac med service, northeast tower. Are you on frequency?”
After a period of silence, the controller is then heard saying: “We have a lost aircraft.”
The Philadelphia Office of Emergency are advising locals to stay away from the area.
Doomed Pennsylvania jet hit gas pipeline before crashing into three homes
A as Secretary Sean Duffy of the Department of Transportation detailed the devastating event: “A Learjet 55 with two people on board crashed after departing Northeast Philadelphia Airport in Pennsylvania at 18:30, according to the US FAA.”
He confirmed the jet hit a gas pipeline following an oversight of a runway, leading to an explosion and fires ravaging three buildings, the gas line, and potentially damaging surrounding vehicles. The tragic incident
Expressing his commitment to offer support, Govenor Josh Shapiro announced his intention to muster “Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly.”
Further details emerged as flight data revealed the ill-fated jet took off at approximately 6:06 pm, before vanishing from radar screens just half a minute later, having reached an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters)
Casualties reported as small plane crashes in residential area near Philadelphia (Image: Getty)
Little girl and her mother among the six people killed
All six people on board the doomed flight have sadly died, a Jet Rescue spokesperson has confirmed. The child had been treated in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home to Mexico, according to Shai Gold, when the tragedy struck.
The flight’s final destination was Tijuana, Mexico, after a stop in Missouri.
The patient, her mother and four crew members sadly perished in the incident, with Mr.Gold reiterating how “shocking and surprising” the accident was.
Equipped with a seasoned crew who have undergone rigorous training, accidents like this are incredibly rare, with Mr.Gold adding: “When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising, All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”
People urged stay away from the area near Roosevelt Mall
A continuous stream of police vehicles and fire trucks remain at the scene, taking over business car parks as they attempt to assess the damage from the devastating plane crash.
At the scene, firefighters are directing people away and have set up a perimeter, stretching a large neighbourhood. Within about an hour, the cry of sirens and shouted orders had faded into relative quiet at the edges of the closed-off area, and darkness settled in as drivers passing by peered out trying to see what was happening.
The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping centre in the densely populated neighbourhood of Rhawnhurst. Shortly after the plane crashed, large pieces of debris and shrapnel were seen falling from the sky and hitting cars, while a wall of orange glowed just beyond the intersection as a plume of black smoke quickly rose into the sky and sirens blared.
First hand video of what happened in northeast Philadelphia
u2014 Darren Minto (@FB_Darren)
Where exactly did the crash happen?
The crash happened less than three miles (4.8 km) from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. The airport is one of two to serve the city of Philadelphia, with the main International Airport located roughly around 20miles away.
The plane, a Learjet 55, quickly disappeared from radar after taking off from the airport at 6:06 p.m. and climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters). It was en route to Springfield, Missouri, and registered to a company operating as Med Jets, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
Donald Trump laments ‘more innocent souls lost’
President has broken his silence regarding the latest air disaster as he told his social media followers it was “so sad” to see the crash.
“More innocent souls lost,” he said on Truth Social. “Our people are totally engaged.”
In addition, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he is offering all “Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly.”
‘We just turned around and saw the big plume’
A doorbell camera has captured the exact moment the plane plunged from the sky in a streak of white before exploding as it hit the ground near a shopping mall and major roadway on Friday evening.
“All we heard was a loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume,” said Jim Quinn, the owner of the doorbell camera.
Another witness, Michael Schiavone, described sitting at his home in Mayfair, a nearby neighbourhood, when he heard a loud bang and his house shook.
Comparing the impact to a mini earthquake, he later revealed that his home security footage had captured something that looked like a “missile” falling from the sky.
“There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.
The explosion was compared to a ‘missile strike’ by one resident (Image: )
No one has survived the Philadelphia crash
A medical transport jet carrying a young patient and five others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood shortly after takeoff on Friday evening, before exploding into a fireball that engulfed several homes.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the carrier responsible for the flight, said the patient and another passenger were on board along with four crew members.
“We cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said in a statement. “Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker told a news conference on Friday evening that information on fatalities wasn’t immediately known, but did confirm that several homes and vehicles had been damaged.
“This is still an active scene under investigation,” she said.