A crater remains a day after the deadly crash of a medevac plane operated by Mexico-based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. February 1, 2025
| Photo Credit: via Reuters

Authorities sifted through burned cars, damaged homes and charred debris Saturday (February 1, 2025) to gather clues that might explain why an air ambulance exploded into a fiery ball as it crashed on a busy Philadelphia street, killing seven and leaving no survivors on board.

The small plane carrying six people, including a child who had just undergone treatment at a hospital, crashed just after takeoff from the small Northeast Philadelphia Airport, creating what witnesses described as a massive fireball and a chaotic street scene that left houses on fire, businesses damaged and cars destroyed.

Authorities couldn’t say why the jet crashed and Adam Thiel, the city’s managing director, said it could be days — or more — until authorities are able to fully count the number of dead and injured across a massive impact area spanning blocks in a densely populated residential area.

As of Saturday morning, officials said there were seven dead — six on the jet, one person on the ground — and 19 injured. The plane hit the ground just after 6 p.m., during a busy Friday evening dinner hour. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the plane was aloft for a very short period of time before it crashed.

Spokespersons for hospitals treating the injured, Temple University Hospital-Jeanes and Jefferson Health, said most of the patients they saw had been treated and released by midday Saturday, but at least three were admitted and remain hospitalised.

One patron of the Four Seasons Diner was hit and injured by a small, heavy metal object that flew through the window, Koc said.

The crash scene was at least four to six blocks, and authorities were working to assess the damage, including going house to house to inspect the dwellings in the area, Thiel said.

It is “entirely possible” that there will be changes to the casualty figures, Mr. Thiel said. There are “a lot of unknowns” as to who was where on the streets of the neighborhood when the plane crashed.

Of the six people on board the medical transport jet, one was a child who had just completed treatment at Shriners Children’s hospital, one was her mother and four were crew members, officials said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said all the victims were from Mexico. In a statement on the social media platform X, Ms. Sheinbaum said she mourned their deaths.

“Consular authorities are in constant contact with the families; I’ve asked the Foreign Affairs Secretary to support whatever is needed. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends,” she said in a statement translated from Spanish.

Of the casualties on the ground, Ms. Parker said one person who was in a car was killed and 19 others were injured.

The child on the medical transport jet had just completed treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia hospital. Hospital officials said that, because of patient privacy concerns, they couldn’t say more about the patient and her family.

Tijuana was the flight’s final destination after a stop in Missouri.

Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is based in Mexico and has operations both there and in the U.S. It operated the Learjet 55, which was registered in Mexico.

Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold said a seasoned crew operated the plane and all flight crews undergo rigrous training.

“When an incident like this happens, it’s shocking and surprising,” Mr. Gold said. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”

The crash came just two days after the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in midair in Washington, D.C., with an Army helicopter carrying three soldiers. There were no survivors.

Smoke rises as emergency personnel operate at the site of a plane crash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., January 31, 2025
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A small plane carrying two people crashed in the vicinity of a shopping mall in Philadelphia, resulting in multiple casualties on the ground, local media reported on Friday (January 31, 2025).

The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, citing police, said the crash took place shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia.

At least one house and multiple cars are on fire, the newspaper reported.

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management confirmed on social media that there was a “major incident” in the area of the reported crash, but provided no other details.

The Philadelphia CBS affiliate showed images of a large fire and several fire trucks at the scene of the crash, and that the status of victims was not immediately known.

Neither the Philadelphia police department nor the fire department immediately responded to requests for comment.