Private Jet Crash Kills Nine People Near Palm Beach

Nine people died on Sunday when a private business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in South Florida and exploded into a large fireball near a busy roadway.

The Learjet 60 went down at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time near Cresthaven and Greenacres in Palm Beach County, roughly seven miles from Mar-a-Lago.

The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to the Bahamas when the disaster occurred.

Federal transportation officials confirmed that all nine occupants perished in the accident, which left a deep crater in the pavement and scattered burning debris across the street.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact during a press conference at the site.

"It was a cataclysmic plane crash," said DeSantis, according to the Times of India. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."

United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also addressed the disaster in a public statement.

"Today's plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida is a horrific tragedy," said Duffy, according to NDTV.

President Donald Trump had departed from a nearby airport about an hour before the impact after staying at his Palm Beach resort.

Emergency services declared a mass casualty incident and closed surrounding roads as firefighters rushed to contain the flames.

Local authorities began evacuating approximately 600 residents from a nearby mobile home community while emergency crews worked in the area.

Air traffic control recordings showed the pilot reporting icing and turbulence before the aircraft entered a rapid descent.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the crash.