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

A Mexican girl who had been in the US for medical care, her mother, and members of flight and medical crews were on board the plane.

An air ambulance transporting a child who had just completed treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother and four others, has crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood in the United States.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff just after 6pm (23:00 GMT) on Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes, videos aired on local TV stations showed.

The incident marked another US aviation disaster after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in capital Washington, DC, earlier this week.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said in a statement: “We cannot confirm any survivors.” It said the plane had four crew members apart from the child and her mother.

All six on board were Mexican citizens, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The child was being transported home, according to Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold. The flight’s final destination was Tijuana after a stop in Missouri, about 1,800km (1,100 miles) to the southwest.

“The patient had received care from Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and was being transported back to her home country in Mexico on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened,” said Mel Bower, a spokesman for Shriners Children’s hospital.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker told a news conference at the scene that several houses and cars had been engulfed in flames. She said the situation is “all hands on deck, that’s where we are right now”.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters at the crash scene that “we know there will be loss in this region”. “We want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those that are grieving at this moment,” Shapiro said.

“So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job,” US President Donald Trump wrote on social media.

The crash follows this week’s collision of an American Airlines jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, DC, which killed 67 people in the deadliest plane crash in the US since 2009.