Two days after an American Airlines flight crashed in Washington, D.C., an air ambulance carrying six passengers—including a pediatric patient—crashed down in Northeast Philadelphia.

Another plane crash has tragically occurred on U.S. soil.

An air ambulance crashed down in Philadelphia around 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 soon after departing to head to the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, the operating company said in a statement to NBC News. 

There were six passengers on board the Learjet 55, including a pediatric patient, her guardian and four crew members, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance confirmed to the outlet. The child onboard the flight was traveling back home to Mexico after getting a “life-saving treatment” in the United States, a spokesperson for the company told NBC10 Philadelphia.

“The treatment ran its course. She was ready to go home, and we were contracted to bring her back home to Mexico,” the spokesperson said. “Ultimate destination was the Tijuana International Airport and was scheduled to go home by ground ambulance.”  

The number of fatalities is not yet known, according to the city’s mayor Cherelle Parker, who said in a press conference that “several dwellings and vehicles were impacted” when the aircraft crashed near Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Mall. 

Six people who were not on the plane were injured in the crash and transported to Temple University Hospital’s Jeanes Campus, a source confirmed with NBC10. Three have since been released.

One local resident felt and heard the explosion, saying that one person caught fire in the collision.

“Out of nowhere, everything just shook,” the bystander told NBC10. “I thought the buildings fell or something. I walked outside and all you see is a huge explosion. I look outside and, bam, you just see all this fire.” 

He continued, “I started shaking and then I see a person running on fire. I didn’t know what to do. I was just there, I was just shook. That’s something you see in a movie, but to see it in person is just very troubling.”

Following the crash, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro gave residents an update on the city’s response.

“We are offering all Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly,” Shapiro wrote in a Jan. 31 statement on X. “We’ll continue to provide updates as more information is available.”

The National Transportation Safety Board—who is investigating the American Airlines crash that occurred two days prior and claimed the lives of all 67 people involved—will head up the upcoming investigation into the private jet’s crash as well.

“The FAA and NTSB will investigate,” the FAA said in a Jan. 31 statement to NBC News. “The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates.”

(E!, NBC News and NBC10 Philadelphia are all part of the NBCUniversal family.) 

Source: www.eonline.com