A small plane crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, in the southeastern United States on Thursday.
Several people died, local authorities said.
“I can confirm that there are several fatalities, both in the apparatus and inside the mobile homes,” area Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said at a news conference.
The accident occurred at 7 p.m. (midnight Paris time), shortly after a nearby airport received an alert message about a plane in difficulty, Scott Ehlers said.
Firefighters quickly rushed to the large Bayside Waters mobile home park and were able to extinguish the fires caused by the falling aircraft.
Several fatalities were reported after a small plane crashed into and demolished a mobile home in Clearwater, Florida, officials said https://t.co/n69PPDgLv6 pic.twitter.com/oriekXHUjx
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 2, 2024
At least three houses were affected by the flames and a fourth received a direct impact from the plane, according to the fire chief.
The residents of the other homes were able to leave their homes safely.
The small plane was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, local media reported, citing the FAA, the federal agency responsible for aviation regulation in the United States.
According to this same source, the pilot reported an engine failure before the accident.
CNN explains that the number of people who were on board the plane remains unknown.