A medical transport jet carrying a child patient and five others crashed in a residential neighborhood near a shopping mall in Philadelphia on Friday, sparking a massive fire, AFP reported. The aircraft exploded upon impact, engulfing multiple homes in flames.
Fatalities and Unconfirmed Survivors
The incident has drawn national attention, with U.S. President Donald Trump expressing his condolences. “More innocent souls lost,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Our people are totally engaged.”
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the company operating the aircraft, stated that it could not confirm any survivors. “Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families, and any other victims who may have been affected on the ground,” the company said in a statement.
According to company spokesperson Shai Gold, all six individuals aboard, including the child patient, were from Mexico. The child had been receiving treatment in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home to Tijuana at the time of the crash. ❗️Panic at Philadelphia plane crash site
Thick smoke billows as multiple cars up in flames https://t.co/nl3kXrmiMp pic.twitter.com/FTTCniUksa
Emergency Response and Investigation
The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management confirmed the crash as a “major incident,” urging the public to avoid the area near Cottman and Bustleton Avenues, across from Roosevelt Mall.
Eyewitness footage shared on social media showed the wreckage near a row of houses, with emergency responders and firefighters working at the scene.
Flight data revealed that the aircraft took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:06 p.m. local time and disappeared from radar approximately 30 seconds later after reaching an altitude of 1,600 feet, according to the Associated Press. The crash site is located about 4.8 kilometers from the airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.
A local resident recounted hearing a deafening explosion and feeling his house tremble. “For a moment, I thought we were under attack,” he told AP.
Aviation Safety Concerns Amid Recent Incidents
This crash follows another tragic aviation incident earlier this week, when a passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. The collision claimed the lives of all 64 passengers on the jet and three crew members aboard the helicopter, marking the deadliest air disaster in the United States in over two decades.
The Washington D.C. collision, which occurred in heavily congested airspace, has raised concerns about aviation safety and the effectiveness of modern collision-avoidance systems, particularly in high-traffic regions frequented by commercial and military aircraft.
Authorities are now conducting investigations into both incidents as aviation experts analyze flight data, operational procedures, and possible contributing factors to these tragic events.
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