Philadelphia residents were left stunned on Friday evening after a medical transport plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood, igniting multiple fires and injuring people on the ground.
A minor patient, her mother, and four Mexican crew members were being transported by the Learjet 55 as part of a medical mission.
Less than four miles from the disaster site, the plane went down soon after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, called the situation an “awful aviation disaster” and issued a warning that there could be casualties.
Three of the six injured people treated at Temple University Hospital have since been released. The condition of individuals on board the airplane has not yet been confirmed by authorities.
Witnesses reported a massive fireball that turned the evening sky orange, with burning debris scattered across the area.
“It felt like an earthquake,” one witness told local media.
According to Shai, the young patient was going back to Mexico following treatment for a potentially fatal illness.
City officials urged residents to avoid touching debris and to report findings to emergency services.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have launched investigations into the crash, as Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker called for prayers for those affected.
