At least four killed after small plane crashes into California home

One person was killed and four others injured on Monday after a small plane crashed into a neighborhood near the airport in Riverside, California.

Four people died and up to five more were missing after a small plane crashed into two houses in a residential neighbourhood in southern California, authorities said.

Firefighters put out flames after a plane crashed in Riverside, Calif., Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. The deadly crash injured several when a small plane collided with two homes Monday shortly after taking off from a nearby airport, officials said.(AP Photo)

Images broadcast by KABC-TV from the scene showed firefighters covering what appeared to be a body with a tarp and pouring water on the home in Riverside, about 60 miles (100 km)east of Los Angeles.

The station reported that another victim who was pulled from a window of the home and put on a stretcher appeared to be suffering from severe injuries.

The Riverside Press Enterprise newspaper, citing fire officials, said that one person had died and that four others suffered injuries.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said that a Cessna 310 crashed “under unknown circumstances” about a half mile northeast of Riverside Municipal Airport.

Gregor said the plane crashed shortly after taking off from the airport, bound for San Jose in Northern California and that the incident would be investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the plane when it took off. According to aviation websites the Cessna 310 is a twin-engine plane that can carry up to six people.