West Palm Beach: All nine people aboard a business jet died after it crashed into a South Florida neighbourhood and erupted into a massive fireball, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sunday.
The Learjet 60 nose-dived into the Palm Beach County neighbourhood before crashing near a busy roadway, creating a fiery crater in the pavement. The aircraft appeared to narrowly miss nearby homes, while thick black smoke engulfed the crash site.
The crash occurred near Cresthaven, Florida, around nine miles from US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, according to Fox News.
The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Authorities have not disclosed the identities of those aboard or the cause of the crash.
Duffy said the FAA was sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the incident. The NTSB will lead the probe, the FAA said.
Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the aircraft was privately operated and identified the aircraft's tail number as N722BD.
Videos recorded by people inside their cars captured the moment the aircraft plunged from the sky, struck near the roadway and exploded. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement scattered near the crater as people gathered at the scene, expressing shock that the jet had come down only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles.
It was not immediately clear whether the crash had damaged any homes or whether anyone on the ground was injured.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office closed Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North and urged residents and motorists to avoid the area. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue described the incident as an extended emergency operation and asked the public to stay away. Firefighters and other emergency personnel rushed to the scene.
A woman working nearby said electricity in the area had been out for approximately two hours following the crash.
The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
(With agency inputs from AP via PTI & ANI)