Los Angeles (California) [US], May 23: A small Cessna aircraft crashed into a residential neighbourhood in San Diego early on Thursday, killing several people on board, authorities said.
Several passengers on board the Cessna aircraft were killed, a spokesman for the fire service said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Cessna 550 aircraft crashed near California's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at 3:45 am (1045 GMT), with the number of people aboard the plane still unknown.
The crash left a trail of charred vehicles and damaged houses in the Tierrasanta neighbourhood of San Diego, located in the southernmost region of California. Downed power lines were observed near the scene, as emergency responders struggled to contain the fire.
The residents of several houses that were damaged in the crash and subsequent fires were unharmed, and most of the fires were quickly brought under control, the fire service said. Describing the scene, police chief Scott Wahl said: "I can't quite put words to describe what this scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire all at once." The emergency services did a "heroic" job in evacuating people and "doing anything and everything they could to try to save somebody's life," Wahl added.
The plane, which officials say was en route from the Midwest, caused damage to several homes and vehicles in the neighbourhood but did not cause any injuries to residents.
Police said evacuations were in place for three streets near the crash cite, asking residents to report smelling fuel or finding debris.
The FAA said it was investigating the crash together with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
According to US broadcaster ABC, around 15 houses were damaged in the accident. The background to the crash initially remained unclear.
Accidents involving small aircraft occur time and again in the United States, often due to mistakes made by amateur pilots.
Source: Qatar Tribune
