California: plane crashes on houses

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The scene of the accident in Santee, California

Photo: Gregory Bull / AP

At least two people were killed when a small plane crashed into two apartment buildings in a small town near San Diego, California.

Two people were admitted to a hospital on Monday.

Their condition is unknown, wrote the city council of Santee on Facebook.

Santee is located around 20 kilometers northeast of the center of San Diego.

A delivery truck and a hydrant were also hit.

It is still unclear how many people were on board the twin-engine Cessna.

The electricity was switched off in the immediate vicinity of the accident site.

According to NBC 7, an employee of the package delivery service UPS was among the victims.

Photos show a badly damaged delivery vehicle.

The plane was on its way from Yuma in Arizona to San Diego, it said.

The machine had problems, the pilot tried to land in a field near a high school.

Santee Fire Department deputy chief Justin Matsushita said he was not sure there were any more deaths.

The scenery is brutal.

At least two houses were destroyed and the emergency services tried to protect other buildings.

Two or three other houses were damaged.

There was a crash three years ago

A large fire with heavy smoke development could be seen in the photos.

A video recorded from the air by the emergency services showed a field of rubble consisting of two destroyed houses, extinguishing foam and the broken plane wreck.

Dozens of people stood around the scene of the accident.

A resident told NBC 7 that she heard the crash: "It felt like someone fell into my garage," Lili Patch said.

According to the broadcaster, the nearby crash was not the first plane crash in Santee.

Three years ago, for example, two people and a dog were killed when a plane crashed in the city.

jok / dpa