All nine people aboard a private Learjet 60 died when the aircraft crashed in a Florida neighborhood on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the jet had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas.
Duffy called the crash a "horrible tragedy" and said the FAA would send a team to help the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. He asked people to join him in prayer for the families and loved ones of those lost.
Images from the area showed large pieces of asphalt torn up and thrown into the air where the aircraft apparently struck the ground. The crash occurred on Military Trail, a six-lane road with commercial establishments and restaurants, according to the Palm Beach County sheriff's office. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a multi-casualty incident.
The crash happened about 14 kilometers from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Palm Beach County, around 12:50 p.m. local time. Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday morning and left on Air Force One about an hour before the crash, departing from a nearby airport.
Flight analyses and U.S. media reports indicated the jet was descending at hundreds of feet per second before impact. Unverified video circulated on social media, apparently recorded by a car-mounted camera, showed vehicles moving along a residential street before an aircraft dived almost vertically and exploded in a large fireball.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters the footage was shocking, describing it as "like a missile falling, followed by a giant explosion, with debris flying everywhere." Authorities said 600 residents of a nearby trailer community were being evacuated. The impact caused considerable damage to local infrastructure, including water pipes, and the road was expected to remain closed for at least 30 days, they said.
Storms had been recorded in the region at the time of the crash, and heavy rain was falling during the press conference. Authorities said it was not immediately clear who was on board the jet.
Sources: G1.