Los Angeles, May 23 (IANS) At least two people were killed and eight others were injured after a small plane crashed into a neighbourhood in US southwestern city of San Diego, authorities said.
The incident took place early Thursday morning.
The crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. local time in a military housing complex in the Tierrasanta neighbourhood, local officials said.
The crash site is a little more than 2 miles east of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, Xinhua news agency reported.
Police said they believed no one on the ground was killed but could not immediately confirm that.
The San Diego Police Department said in a post on X that the crash also damaged around 10 buildings in the neighbourhood.
Local officials confirmed that the small plane, a Cessna jet, crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood just before 4 a.m. local time.
The crash sparked fires in multiple residences and vehicles, Dan Eddy, assistant chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, told the media.
“We have jet fuel all over the place. We have hazmat on scene right now, and we’ve asked for more resources to come for that,” Eddy said.
Eddy said that all of the fatalities were on the plane, which could hold up to 10 people.
Officials do not yet know how many were on board.
About 100 local residents were evacuated following the crash. Officials confirmed that the affected residences were military housing units.
The tract where the crash occurred is managed by Liberty Military Housing, officials said.
“We are actively working with all military families affected, specifically within this region, because they may be out of their homes for a while,” said Captain Bob Heely, commanding officer of Naval Base San Diego.
Heely said he was working with Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross to provide temporary housing to the affected families.
“As you can see, the damage behind us is incredibly significant, was life-threatening, and thank God nobody on the ground was killed,” Raul Campillo, a member of the San Diego City Council, said at a news conference near the crash site.
The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
–IANS
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