Two people have died after a twin-engine Cessna aircraft crashed in a Southern California neighborhood on Monday afternoon, according to authorities.
“We do have multiple confirmed fatalities, we do not know exactly how many,” said Justin Matsushita, deputy fire chief for the city of Santee, in a briefing for reporters. “We do know there are at least two confirmed.”
According to UPS, one of its staff was killed.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our employee, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” UPS said. “We also send our condolences to the other individuals who are involved in this incident, and their families and friends.”
The plane struck a delivery truck, according to authorities. According to Matsushita, emergency workers are looking for victims as they assess the damage to homes.
“Not to be too graphic, but it’s a pretty brutal scene for our guys, and we’re trying to comb through it,” he said.
Two houses in the neighborhood were particularly hard hit by the plane’s impact, with two or three more sustaining minor damage. Hours after the accident, the area was still smoldering.
It is uncertain how many people were on the Cessna 340A when it crashed. “We believe that the injuries are not survivable for anybody who was on board,” Matsushita stated.
When emergency workers got there, several vehicles were on fire, according to authorities. Debris is scattered across a residential block and the electricity has been shut off for about 10 homes within the area while investigators assess the damage.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane crashed at around 12:14 p.m. PT.
A police officer advised that all students had been accounted for at Santana High School, where the collision occurred near a high school. The district tweeted that all pupils are safe and the accident took place a few blocks away.
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The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is telling people to stay away from the area.
The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter for residents who have been displaced as a result of the accident. After the investigators verify it at the crash site, the FAA will release the aircraft’s tail number.
“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates. Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents.”