Unverified posts on social media have been claiming that Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny was one of the nine victims of the Florida Learjet crash. The Bahamas-bound Learjet crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing nine people.
“Trying to confirm if Bad Bunny was on the Lear jet that crashed in Greenacres, Florida. A tragedy for those on board and their family,” one X post reads.
“Airplane accident on November 1st of commercial plane LEARJET in Palm Beach County Florida unconfirmed news they say that singer Benito Suarez the 'bad rabbit' BadBunny his current girlfriend and 2 passengers + have died,” another post says.
Is the claim true or false?
Deep Dive
Did Bad Bunny die in the Florida Learjet crash?
Have authorities identified the nine people killed in the Florida Learjet crash?
What caused the Florida Learjet crash?
The claim is false. No major news outlets have reported that Bud Bunny was one of the passengers or that he died in the tragedy. His team has not made any such announcement either.
The rapper himself has not spoken out about the tragedy yet.
{{/usCountry}}The rapper himself has not spoken out about the tragedy yet.
{{/usCountry}}Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that there are no reports of anyone on the ground being killed. However, the crash created a significant debris field.
A county official reportedly said that about 600 people are in need of shelter on the ground due to the crash.
The tragic crash
The crash took place near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Just minutes before the tragedy, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the aircraft, an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence, bouncing the plane by up to 700 feet, according to a recording of air traffic control radio calls captured by LiveATC.net.
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“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” the pilot radioed the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.
However, just moments later, after reporting precipitation started to fall and requesting to climb, an emergency was declared.
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“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said. “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute … We’re going to crash into the ground.”
ADS-B Exchange revealed that the aircraft descended 27,000 feet over the course of one minute, just before flight tracking data was cut off.
Joel Flores, Palm Beach County commissioner for District 3, said that about 600 people require shelter after the crash due to damage on the ground. He added that the residents are being sent to two shelters in the county. Meanwhile, the site is being investigated.