US: 2 people killed as small plane crashes in San Diego neighbourhood
San Diego assistant fire chief said the plane could carry 8–10 people, but the exact number of passengers on board is still unknown.
Two people were killed and several others injured when a private jet crashed into military housing in San Diego early Thursday during foggy weather, setting parked cars ablaze along a suburban neighbourhood block, Associated Press reported citing authorities.
Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy stated at a press briefing that the plane had the capacity to carry between eight and ten people, but the exact number of passengers remains unclear. He added that investigators will look into whether the aircraft may have struck a power line before the crash.
The San Diego Police Department said it has evacuated three streets and advised the public to call authorities if coming across debris or "smell jet fuel."
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now."
He added that it was a “ direct hit to multiple homes" in the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood.
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Television footage revealed rows of cars reduced to charred shells and at least one house suffering significant damage in the neighbourhood, reported AFP.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Cessna 550 aircraft crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
“The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the FAA said in a statement.
When did the crash occur?
According to the Associated Press, the aircraft crashed just before 4 am in the largest military housing area in the US The impact appeared to destroy part of at least one home, leaving its roof charred and collapsed, and it also smashed into around six vehicles. Approximately ten homes were damaged in total.
Initially, authorities reported that no one had been taken to the hospital. However, following a morning press briefing, San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco confirmed that five members of one family were hospitalised due to smoke inhalation. Another individual was treated at a hospital after being injured while climbing out of a window in an attempt to escape. Two more people received treatment at the scene for minor injuries.
Officials in San Diego have not yet released specific details about the aircraft but confirmed it was a flight coming from the Midwest.
Data from FlightAware indicates it was a Cessna Citation II jet, scheduled to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego at 3.47 am after departing from Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
Airport authorities in Kansas said the aircraft had stopped in Wichita to refuel. According to FlightAware, the flight had originally departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, on Wednesday night. Teterboro Airport, located about six miles (10 kilometres) from Manhattan, is commonly used by private and corporate jets.
In the San Diego neighbourhood, the strong odour of jet fuel lingered for hours after the crash. Emergency crews were still working to put out a persistent fire in one of the cars, and officials described the scene as terrifying in the crash’s aftermath.
