Young medical patient and mother among those killed in Philadelphia plane crash
A medical plane carrying a young patient and her mother has crashed in a heavily populated area of Philadelphia – killing all six people on board.
The Jet Rescue Air Ambulance was carrying the girl and her mother from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri – on their way home to Tijuana, Mexico, the company said.
It crashed about 30 seconds after taking off, erupting in a fireball and engulfing several homes in flames.
First responders at the scene. Pic: AP Photo/Matt Rourke
The plane came down near the Roosevelt Mall in the Rhawnhurst area of Pennsylvania at 6.30pm local time on Friday (11.30pm UK time). Four members of crew were also on board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed.
The aircraft had climbed to 1,600ft (487m) and travelled around three miles (5km) from the airport – before it came down.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which is based in Mexico, said: “At this time we cannot confirm any survivors.”
Shai Gold, who works in corporate strategy for the company, said it was “terribly shocked by this tragic turn of events”.
“This was a very seasoned crew,” she said. “We are a leading air ambulance company, we fly 600 to 700 times a year. We don’t really know what happened.”
Debris believed to be from the small plane on the ground in Philadelphia. Pic: @Kikatechusa via AP
Fire engines and other emergency vehicles were sent to the scene, with the blaze appearing to have been put out around two hours after the crash.
There were reports of people injured on the ground – but no details were confirmed.
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Smoke rises as emergency services work at the scene of the crash. Pic: Reuters
A doorbell camera captured the plane falling from the sky in a streak of white and exploding as it hit the ground.
The owner of the camera, Jim Quinn, said: “All we heard was a loud roar and didn’t know where it was coming from. We just turned around and saw the big plume.”
The moment of the crash was also seen on dashcam footage of a car driving nearby.
Michael Schiavone, 37, was at home in a nearby neighbourhood when he heard a loud bang and his house shook. He described it as a “mini earthquake” and when he checked his home security camera, it looked like a missile came down.
Philadelphia Governor Josh Shapiro said: “We want to offer our thoughts and serious prayers for those that are grieving at this moment.”
President Donald Trump wrote on social media that he was “so sad” to see the crash.
“More innocent souls are lost. Our people are totally engaged. First responders are already being given credit for doing a great job.”
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board would lead an investigation into the crash. The NTSB said an investigator has arrived at the scene – and more officials would be deployed on Saturday.
Smoke rises above houses after the crash. Pic: AP
Second US plane crash in a week
The crash comes days after a plane collided with a US Army helicopter as it came into land at an airport in Washington DC – killing all 64 people on board the plane – and three on the helicopter.
The aircraft had requested to land on the shorter runway at Reagan Washington National Airport – before it collided with the helicopter, and fell into the Potomac River at around 8.47pm local time (1.47am UK time) on Wednesday.
At a news conference on Friday, authorities said they have recovered 48 bodies so far – of which they have identified 28.
Head of Washington DC’s emergency medical services John Donnelly said he expects all the victims’ bodies to be found – but it would require the plane debris to be removed from the river.
Crews are currently working at the shoreline and more personnel were being deployed late on Friday, he said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been linked to a second group chat about sensitive military operations, which he reportedly shared with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
The messages sent via the Signal messaging app are again understood to have contained details of an attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in March.
The second chat group, initially reported by The New York Times, included about a dozen people. It revealed details of the schedule of the airstrikes, according to the Reuters news agency.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News there were 13 people in the second chat group, and Mr Hegseth divulged the information despite an aide warning him about using an unsecure communications system.
Mr Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, has attended sensitive meetings with foreign military counterparts, while his brother was hired at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser.
Military details from the first chat group were revealed by a journalist from The Atlantic magazine who was accidentally added to the Signal app by national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Mr Hegseth then shared sensitive information with cabinet officials about last month’s airstrike on targets in Yemen, which was later leaked.
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Mike Waltz (left) and Pete Hegseth (right) have used Signal to discuss sensitive government matters. Pic: AP
‘A non-story,’ says White House
But the White House has consistently defended Mr Hegseth.
Donald Trump dismissed the original leak as “something that can happen”.
Responding to the latest chat group, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said: “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared.
“Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”
The “leakers” referred to in the White House statement are four senior officials who were ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation.
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Leaked war plans: ‘Fairly serious’
‘Hegseth put lives at risk’
The New York Times reported that the second chat – named “Defence | Team Huddle” – was created on Mr Hegseth’s private phone.
It detailed the same warplane launch times as the first chat.
Several former and current officials have said sharing those operational details before a strike would have certainly been classified, and their release could have put pilots in danger.
Democratic politicians have repeatedly called for Mr Hegseth to step down.
“We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk,” Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a post on X.
“But [Donald] Trump is still too weak to fire him. Pete Hegseth must be fired.”
The latest claims about Mr Hegseth emerged as Yemen’s Houthi rebels reported another wave of US airstrikes on Sunday, including on the capital Sanaa.
The Houthis said at least 12 people had been killed, with 30 more injured.
The US says its bombing campaign is in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
DHL Express is suspending some shipments to the US as Donald Trump’s new tariff regime takes effect.
From 21 April, shipments worth more than $800 (£603) to US consumers from “any origin” will be temporarily suspended.
New rules that came into effect at the start of April made such shipments subject to increased customs checks.
“This change has caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock,” said the parcel delivery service.
Shipments going from business to business worth more than $800 aren’t affected by the suspension, but DHL warned they may also face delays.
Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers are not impacted, but one British cycle manufacturer suggested its US customers may need to split orders over $800 into “smaller shipments” to avoid the red tape.
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From May, shipments from China and Hong Kong that are worth less than $800 “will be subject to all applicable duties”, according to the White House.
“President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages,” it said in a statement.
Until now, deliveries worth less than $800 didn’t incur any duties, which allowed low-cost companies Chinese like Shein and Temu to make inroads in the US.
Both have warned their prices will now rise because of the rule changes, starting on 25 April.
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