A small medical plane carrying six people crashed near a shopping center in the northeast of Philadelphia on Friday evening, apparently leaving no survivor and sending a large fire ball in the air that swallowed up houses and vehicles In flames, the authorities said.
Learjet 55 was carrying a young Philadelphia patient, where she finished treatment at her home in Mexico, said Shai Gold, spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, owner of the plane. She was accompanied by her mother, and there were also two pilots, a doctor and a paramedic on board, he added.
The patient had been treated at Shriners Children’s in Philadelphia, the hospital spokesman Mel Bower said. The six people from the plane were Mexican, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico.
The burning debris of the plane left an apartments building and several flame vehicles. Several blocks within a radius of about half a mile were completed. Residents described having seen thick smoke escape from the accident site and the fuel smell.
Several people injured in the accident were taken to Temple Health, Jennifer Reardon, hospital spokesperson, said. Three were released after treatment and three others remained hospitalized, she said, without determining whether they had been on the plane or on the ground.
The plane made a planned stop at Missouri for fuel before its final destination, said Gold. He added that he would not release any names as long as family members were informed.
