Another aircraft disaster has struck the US tonight, with at least six people confirmed dead. Emergency services rushed to the scene after a small plane crashed into several buildings and cars in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around 6pm local time on Friday.
This incident comes just two days after a tragic plane crash in DC claimed 67 lives. ABC Action News reports that there are multiple casualties at the scene, including the two passengers of the plane.
Multiple homes are reportedly ablaze in the area of Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, a residential area in northeast Philadelphia. Images from the scene depict a large-scale rescue operation, with numerous firetrucks heading towards the area.
Other photos capture an explosion as the plane went down. Eyewitnesses report a ‘large debris field,’ multiple cars on fire, and the ‘smell of fuel in the air.’
The aircraft has been identified as a Learjet 55, a Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which crashed near Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
As more details emerge, many concerned citizens have taken to social media to express their worries about this second devastating plane crash in as many days, reports the Mirror.
Just two hours after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference, a devastating crash occurred. The NTSB had confirmed that salvage barges were on their way to the site of Wednesday’s mid-air collision involving a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 airplane and a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
They will be working ‘with the coroner’s office’ to expedite the return of remains to families. Rescue operations are currently in progress, with teams sifting through the wreckage in an effort to recover the bodies of the 67 individuals on board for formal identification and burial.
According to CNN, 41 bodies have been retrieved from the DC crash site so far, with 28 having been identified by their families.