image source, Reuters
A private plane crashed this Sunday in the metropolitan area of Palm Beach, Florida, killing all nine people on board, the United States Secretary of Transportation reported.
The aircraft had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported, and crashed in a local neighborhood at 12:50 local time (17:50 GMT).
The incident occurred about 14 km from Mar-a-Lago, the residence of President Donald Trump.
Images from the crash site showed a crater-sized hole in a street in a Greenacres neighborhood, with fire and pieces of concrete and debris from the Learjet 60 aircraft scattered everywhere.
US media reports and analysis of the flight indicate that the plane was plummeting at hundreds of feet per second before crashing.
A video posted on social media showed what appeared to be footage from a car camera that captured the moment of the accident.
In the images - whose authenticity cannot be verified by the BBC - several vehicles are seen driving down a street when suddenly the aircraft falls almost vertically to the ground and explodes when it violently collides with the ground, creating a large fireball.
"When you see that video, it's shocking," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference after the crash. "It's like a missile hit and there was a huge explosion, with debris flying everywhere."
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It is still unclear who was on board the jet when it crashed. DeSantis said that "at this time, we have no reports of anyone on the ground... being killed or injured."
"We're going to crash... We're running out of time"
In a recording of air traffic control communications made moments before the accident, a pilot of the aircraft is heard saying that the plane was descending at one point at "10,000 feet per minute" (about 3,000 meters per minute), reported CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the United States.
The pilot then declared an emergency and can be heard yelling, "We are in an overspeed situation and we are descending at 20,000 feet per minute," which is about 6,000 meters per minute.
"We're going to crash... We're running out of time," he told the control tower.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the crash as a "horrible tragedy" and said he would send an FAA team to the scene to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation.
"I ask that you join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy added.
Palm Beach County Fire and Rescue declared there was a "multiple casualty incident."
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office reported that the accident occurred on Military Trail, a six-lane road where businesses and restaurants are located.
"It shook the whole house"
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Resident Anthony Blackmon was one of the witnesses. He told local press that he was about 150 meters from where the plane fell and described the experience as terrifying.
"There was debris everywhere. Debris fell on my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire," he told NBC 6 South Florida.
"I've always seen it on the news, but I never thought it would happen so close to someone like it did today," he added.
Another neighbor, Roger Forcelle, said he felt the plane pass over his house shortly before the accident.
"It shook the whole house. It went right over us and crashed probably less than half a kilometer from where I live," Forcelle said. "Everyone left their houses because they felt the tremor."
At a news conference, DeSantis and local authorities indicated that 600 local residents were being evacuated from a nearby mobile home park.
One of the evacuees, Jesús Solorzano, told the local press during the early hours of the morning that "we are waiting for someone to give us answers about what we are going to do, because they won't even let us enter the community to pick up our clothes."
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The impact of the accident caused considerable damage to local infrastructure, including water pipes, authorities said, and it would be at least 30 days before roads reopened.
At the time of the incident, thunderstorms were occurring in the area and it was raining heavily while the governor's press conference was taking place.
Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Sunday morning and departed from a nearby airport aboard Air Force One about an hour before the crash.
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