Nine die as business jet crashes in Florida neighborhood

All nine people aboard a business jet died when it crashed near a busy road in a Florida neighborhood on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Authorities have not identified those on the plane or said what caused it to go down.

The Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County at about 12:50 p.m. local time. The Federal Aviation Administration said it had departed from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas. The Guardian reported that the flight took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The jet went down near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, according to The Guardian. The BBC placed the crash near Cresthaven, about nine miles (14 kilometers) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Military Trail is a six-lane road lined with businesses and eateries, the BBC reported.

Video taken by people inside cars showed the aircraft plunging from the sky, striking near the roadway and exploding, according to The Guardian. Images of the aftermath showed a crater in the road, scattered concrete and aircraft debris, flames and thick black smoke. The Guardian reported that the jet appeared to narrowly miss homes before it crashed and that the wreckage came close to passing vehicles.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone on the ground was injured or killed. Authorities also had not established whether nearby homes were damaged. The Guardian reported that a woman working nearby said electricity in the area had been out for approximately two hours after the crash.

Duffy called the crash a “horrific tragedy” and said the FAA was sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation. “Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost,” he said.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a “mass casualty incident.” Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the scene, while the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed roads in both directions around the crash site. “Motorists are advised to avoid the area and seek alternative routes,” the sheriff’s office said.

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told The Guardian the jet was a private aircraft. He said he could not immediately provide details about its passengers and identified its tail number as N722BD. “This is definitely a tragedy,” Reynolds said.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation.