Air ambulance carrying child, 5 others crashes in US city of Philadelphia

A Mexican miss who had been successful the US for aesculapian care, her mother, and members of formation and aesculapian crews were connected committee the plane.

An aerial ambulance transporting a kid who had conscionable completed attraction for a life-threatening condition, her parent and 4 others, has crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood successful the United States.

The level crashed soon aft takeoff conscionable aft 6pm (23:00 GMT) connected Friday evening, exploding successful a fireball that engulfed respective homes, videos aired connected section TV stations showed.

The incidental marked different US aviation catastrophe aft a rider level and a subject chopper collided midair successful superior Washington, DC, earlier this week.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said successful a statement: “We cannot corroborate immoderate survivors.” It said the level had 4 unit members isolated from the kid and her mother.

All six connected committee were Mexican citizens, the country’s overseas ministry said successful a statement.

The kid was being transported home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold. The flight’s last destination was Tijuana aft a halt successful Missouri, astir 1,800km (1,100 miles) to the southwest.

“The diligent had received attraction from Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and was being transported backmost to her location state successful Mexico connected a contracted aerial ambulance erstwhile the clang happened,” said Mel Bower, a spokesperson for Shriners Children’s hospital.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker told a quality league astatine the country that respective houses and cars had been engulfed successful flames. She said the concern is “all hands connected deck, that’s wherever we are close now”.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters astatine the clang country that “we cognize determination volition beryllium nonaccomplishment successful this region”. “We privation to connection our thoughts and our superior prayers for those that are grieving astatine this moment,” Shapiro said.

“So bittersweet to spot the level spell down successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More guiltless souls lost. Our radical are wholly engaged. First Responders are already being fixed recognition for doing a large job,” US President Donald Trump wrote connected societal media.

The clang follows this week’s collision of an American Airlines pitchy and a US Army Black Hawk chopper implicit Washington, DC, which killed 67 radical successful the deadliest level clang successful the US since 2009.