Business jet crashes near Trump’s Florida residence, killing all nine aboard; explodes into massive fireball

All nine people on board a business jet were killed after the aircraft crashed into a residential neighbourhood in South Florida, officials said. The jet plunged into the Cresthaven area of Palm Beach County around 12:50 PM before bursting into a massive fireball. The crash occurred around nine miles (14 km) from Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach.

A Learjet 60 carrying nine people nose-dived into a residential neighbourhood in South Florida on Sunday (local time) and burst into a massive fireball. The aircraft appeared to narrowly miss nearby homes before crashing near a busy road, leaving a large, burning crater in the pavement.

The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet (about 11 kilometers) when pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation and requested to climb another 2,000 feet (about 610 meters).

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the jet had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas. Authorities had not immediately disclosed the cause of the crash or the identities of those on board.

US Transportation Secretary confirms 9 deaths 

“Today’s plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida, is a horrific tragedy,” US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X, confirming that all nine people on board the Learjet 60 had been killed.

The aircraft departed from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas. Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the cause.

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said it was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight. “This is definitely a tragedy,” he said.

He said the tail number for the flight was N722BD.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed. “It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” DeSantis told reporters at the scene. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”

Here’s the video | Watch

Video recorded by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the Bahamas-bound aircraft plunged from the sky before striking near the roadway and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining a crater as people milled about, expressing shock that it landed only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke engulfed the crash site.

It was not immediately clear whether the crash had caused any damage to nearby homes.

The aircraft went down near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed the road in both directions and urged motorists to stay away from the area. Firefighters and other emergency responders rushed to the scene.

A woman working nearby said the area had been without electricity for around two hours following the crash.

The cause and circumstances of the crash remained under investigation.

(With AP, ANI inputs)

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