A relief plane bound for Jamaica crashed into a Florida pond shortly after takeoff, with authorities confirming no victims found and investigations ongoing.
A small plane carrying relief supplies to hurricane-ravaged Jamaica crashed into a residential neighborhood pond in Coral Springs, Florida, early Monday morning, according to NEW YORK POST. Harrowing home surveillance footage captured the moment the turboprop aircraft plummeted into the water, narrowly clipping the edge of the land before its nose slammed into the pond.
Authorities said no victims were found during initial rescue operations, which have since shifted to a recovery mission. It remains unclear how many people were aboard the aircraft. “There was no actual plane to be seen. They followed the debris trail to the water. We had divers that entered the water and tried to search for any victims and didn’t find any,” said Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Moser.
A spokesperson for the City of Fort Lauderdale said the Beechcraft King Air plane took off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport around 10:14 a.m. and went down roughly five minutes later. The aircraft, which typically seats between seven and 12 passengers, was reportedly en route to deliver supplies to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island two weeks earlier.
Moser said police have now taken over recovery operations as federal aviation authorities begin investigating the cause of the crash.