San Diego: A small plane crashes into a military residential area; several injured and more than 100 evacuated
In a Murphy Canyon neighborhood, a Cessna 550 crashed just before 4 a.m. while it was getting ready to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, close to Salmon Street.
New Delhi (India) May 23: Early on Thursday morning, a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, probably killing all six passengers on board and injuring eight people on the ground.
The exact number of passengers is still unknown, but at a press conference Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said the aircraft could carry eight to ten people. Detectives will investigate if the plane may have hit a power line before the incident.
Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said, “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the Cessna 550 aircraft crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
The neighborhood, which is located just northeast of San Diego, had to evacuate about a hundred residents as a result of the crash.
According to the San Diego Police Department, three streets have been evacuated, and residents are advised to reach out to the police if they come across any debris or "smell jet fuel."
Anthony Carrasco, a San Diego police officer, confirmed that smoke inhalation led to five members of one family being hospitalised. One more person was hurt while trying to escape by climbing out of a window and is being treated at a hospital. Two more persons are being treated for minor wounds.
According to federal officials, all six passengers on the jet are feared to have died.
The plane crash into a residential street in San Diego has killed prominent music agent Dave Shapiro. Daniel Williams, the former drummer for the band The Devil Wears Prada, is also believed to be involved in the crash.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said,“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.”
According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Elliot Simpson, the plane took off from New Jersey on Wednesday night at approximately 23:15 local time and stopped in Wichita, Kansas, for refueling.
According to him, the aircraft seemed to hit two power wires as it reached the San Diego airport before turning into the neighborhood and crashing.
According to Mr. Simpson, it was too soon to determine what caused the plane to crash.
Aadrika Tayal
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