Source: Anadolu / Getty
The Northeast community of Philadelphia is healing after a small medical jet crashed on the busy intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue on Friday.
According to reports, the plane was transporting a Shriners Children’s Hospital patient and her mother to Springfield, Missouri, before it crashed, killing the child, her mother, four crew members and one person in a car on the ground. All six people on the plane were Mexican citizens, which was confirmed by the president of Mexico.
“This was a medical transport plane that took off from our nearby Northeast Philadelphia Airport, and it was only afloat for a very short period of time before something went terribly wrong,” the mayor said during a press conference.
When the plane crashed at approximately 6:07 p.m., it exploded, setting several homes and cars on fire as debris scattered for blocks.
According to the FAA, the small medical plane was a Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance.
During a press conference on Saturday, the NTSB confirmed that the jet left a base in Florida around noon on Friday and arrived in Northeast Philadelphia around 2:15 p.m. It stayed in Philadelphia for a few hours before leaving for Missouri at around 6:06 p.m. According to CBS News, the entire flight took less than one minute.
NTSB officials have launched an investigation into how and why the plane crashed, hoping to prevent this from happening again. If anyone comes across debris, authorities are asking that no one touch it as it’s dangerous and vital to their investigation, according to officials.
The crash also devastated the community, knocking out power for more than 200 residents. According to CBS News Philadelphia, more than 20 victims were treated at the local hospital for injuries they sustained during the crash.
“We have teams who are going literally house by house, door to door, and also our License and Inspections personnel are inspecting all of those dwellings,” said Adam Thiel, managing director of the City of Philadelphia.
CBS News also spoke with a spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, who identified the people on the plane:
- Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales
- Copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez
- Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo
- Paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla
- Valentina Guzman Murillo
- Lizeth Murillo Ozuna
Mel Bower, a spokesperson for the hospital, told CBS, “It’s extremely hard and extremely difficult, those that were involved directly in her care were very aware that she was going to be traveling home and there had actually been a sendoff for her.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro praised local response teams for their efforts after the crash.
“We saw neighbor helping neighbor,” Shapiro said. “We know that there will be loss in this region and we want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those who are grieving.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the city of Philadelphia is planning a town hall meeting for those impacted by the crash.
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