A medicalized airplane accident that occurred in Philadelphia, United States, resulted in the death of six passengers and a seventh person on the ground near the crash site, according to Mayor Cherelle Parker at a press conference. The aircraft crashed in a residential area in the northeast of the city, causing an explosion between houses. The mayor stated that an individual died in a vehicle near where the plane fell.
"We can confirm that at least one other person died in this tragedy; they were in a vehicle. This is not definitive and the investigation is ongoing," Parker declared. It was confirmed that the six passengers who lost their lives in the accident were of Mexican nationality: four crew members and a minor who was presumably traveling with a relative.
The Learjet 55 crashed on Friday around 6:30 PM local time after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport headed to Springfield, Missouri, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft reached 1,650 feet shortly after takeoff before entering a rapid descent, according to data from ADS-B Exchange.
Media reports indicate that the airplane crashed after 40 seconds in the air near an intersection in northeast Philadelphia. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting investigations into the incident. This accident comes just days after a military helicopter collided with a commercial airplane near Reagan National Airport in Washington, killing all 67 people onboard both aircraft.
In addition to the seven deceased, a total of 19 people injured in the Philadelphia plane accident are currently being treated in local hospitals.
