IBNS-CMEDIA: At least nine people were killed after a Bahamas-bound Learjet crashed and erupted into a fireball in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, in one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the US this year.
The aircraft departed from Austin, Texas, and was en route to the Bahamas, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
The crash occurred near Cresthaven, about nine miles (14 km) from Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s resort in the affluent Palm Beach County area, at around 12:50 pm EST (17:50 GMT), the BBC reported.
Images circulating on social media showed a crater in the middle of a road following the crash.
No casualties were reported on the ground.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the crash caused extensive debris and damage to surrounding infrastructure, prompting road closures and evacuations in the neighbouring community.
“Approximately 600 residents are being assisted with temporary shelter and other essential needs,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
Confirming the fatalities, Duffy wrote on X: “All 9 people on board were killed.”
He described the incident as a “horrific tragedy”.
