Texas plane crash kills one and more left injured as jet erupts into flames on highway
A small jet carrying six people crashed onto a highway in South Texas on Tuesday evening, with bystanders rushing in alongside emergency crews to pull passengers free from the burning wreckage.
One person was killed and five others were injured when the plane came down on Laredo's Loop 20 highway, shutting the road down in both directions and scattering debris across multiple lanes.
Footage shared by a witness at the scene showed emergency responders trying to crack open the plane's windshield while authorities and members of the public worked together to get people out of the aircraft as it burned.
Some of those rescued were seen walking away from the wreckage under their own power.
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The aircraft, a NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude business jet, had taken off from San José del Cabo in Mexico at around 6:18pm local time and was originally headed for Austin, Texas, before being diverted toward Laredo near the US-Mexico border, according to flight data from FlightRadar24.
What caused the Texas highway plane crash?
Authorities were called to the scene shortly before 10pm local time after the airport tower received reports of mechanical issues on board, Laredo Police Public Information Officer Jose Baeza told CNN.
He said the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers before crashing onto the highway, striking a moving vehicle as it came down.
FlightRadar24 data shows the aircraft was on a steady, controlled descent toward Laredo International Airport before its signal cut out at roughly 600 feet, about two and a half miles short of the runway, at approximately 9:58pm local time.
Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez also confirmed to a local news outlet that the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure before it went down.
Police haven't released the identities of the six people who were on board, nor confirmed the condition of those injured, though all have been taken to a local hospital.
“Regrettably and tragically there is one deceased involved in this crash,” Baeza said, declining to share further details while the victim's family is notified.
It remains unclear whether anyone inside the vehicle struck by the plane was hurt.
Emergency services were hurt in the rescue
The rescue effort came at a cost for some of the first responders on scene. Five police officers were taken to hospital for treatment after sustaining injuries while helping pull people from the crash site, according to Laredo Police Public Information Officer Jose Espinoza.
Federal agencies have also been pulled into the investigation, with both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration notified, while FBI agents were already on site as of Tuesday night, Baeza confirmed. This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
UNILAD have approached Laredo International Airport and NetJets for additional comment.
Thomas Bamford