A small plane crashed into a retirement community in Pennsylvania, leaving several people injured.
On Sunday, March 9, several local outlets near Lititz in Lancaster County — located about 75 miles west of Philadelphia — reported that a small plane crashed into a parking lot within a retirement community just after 3:20 p.m. local time.
Per Local 21 News, 6 ABC and WGAL, the crash occurred at the intersection of Fairview Drive and Meadowview Court at the Brethren Village Retirement Community.
According to Local 21 News, which cited authorities, Aircraft N347M — a Beechcraft Bonanza — took off from the regional Lancaster Airport at 3:15 p.m. and went down within five minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told PEOPLE in a statement that five people were on the plane at the time of the crash.
“A Beechcraft Bonanza crashed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, around 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 9. Five people were on board. The FAA will investigate,” the statement read.
CNN reported that the plane was headed toward Springfield, Ohio, at the time of the crash.
A video obtained by TMZ, which allegedly captures the immediate aftermath of the crash, shows a massive fire blazing, as multiple car alarms go off in the background.
The blaze is seemingly just outside of a building, and firefighters’ hoses can be seen spraying the plane to put out the fire.
Multiple injuries have been reported, according to the outlets.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro released a statement on social media soon after the crash, stating that Pennsylvania State Police and local first responders were on the scene.
“Our team at @PAStatePolice is on the ground assisting local first responders following the small private plane crash near Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township,” he wrote on X. “All Commonwealth resources are available as the response continues, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Pennsylvania’s Route 501 is closed in both directions near the crash site, WGAL reported.
The incident marks the latest in a string of plane crashes in the region. On Jan. 31, four crew members and two passengers — a pediatric patient and her mother — were onboard a Learjet 55 aircraft when it hit the ground in a residential neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, leaving no survivors.
That crash took place just two days after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people, including all passengers on both the plane and the helicopter.
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