A tragic plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia has claimed the lives of six people on board, including a child patient, her mother, and four crew members. The crash, which occurred on Friday, January 31, near Roosevelt Mall, also left at least six people on the ground injured.
Videos of the crash show the aircraft descending rapidly before exploding into a massive fireball. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with burning debris and shrapnel damaging cars and setting streets ablaze.
According to a statement from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, the private Learjet 55, a medical transportation jet, took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at around 6:10 p.m. local time. Flight logs indicate that it was in the air for only a minute before crashing approximately four miles from the airport.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the plane was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri before heading to Mexico. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash.
The six passengers on board were Mexican nationals, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Mexican consulate in Philadelphia has been in touch with the victims' families and is providing necessary consular assistance.
Hospital staff at Shriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, where the young patient had received treatment before the ill-fated flight, have expressed deep grief over the tragedy. A hospital spokesperson said;
It’s extremely hard and extremely difficult. Those that were involved directly in her care knew she was traveling home and had even held a send-off for her earlier that day.
Authorities have confirmed that road closures remain in place near the crash site, affecting major routes including Bustleton Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. A temporary shelter has been opened at Samuel Fels High School for affected residents.
Rescue efforts are ongoing as officials continue to assess the extent of the damage.
This would be the second plane crash witnessed this week in the US, the previous one being a crash where an American Airlines flight collided midair with a Black Hawk Army helicopter in Washington DC, killing 67 people. Some passengers included World Champion figure skaters pair, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, along with other teenage figure skaters. Bodies of demised passengers are still being recovered.