A light aircraft bound for Florida in the united States has crashed killing all the nine people on board.
At least six of them were Americans.
According to reports, the accident happened at Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo – the capital of the Dominican Republic.
The plane was trying to make an emergency landing, when it burst into flames on landing.
The plane H11050, one of 13 owned by the Helidosa Aviation Group, was on its way from the El Higüero airport in the Dominican Republic to Florida.
Diario Libre reports the flight manifest said there were three crew members and six passengers in the plane.
Local journalist Anibelca Rosario posted on Twitter: “The nine occupants (2 crew members and 7 passengers) of the plane crashed on the runway of #AILA have died.
“All American passengers but of Latino origin. Peace to their souls.”
She later identified the occupants in another tweet:
“Fatal plane crash victims #aila: Debbie Von Marie Jiménez,José Ángel Hernández Kellyan Hernández, Jayden Hernández. Yeilianys Melendez and Jesiel Silva.
“Crew members: Luis Tancredi (pilot) Víctor Herrera (co-pilot), Verónica Estrella (purser)”.
Local outlet Listen Diario reports that the aircraft’s pilot declared an emergency shortly after takeoff from La Isabela International Airport, about 20 miles away, and tried to make an emergency landing at Las Americas.
Helidiosa Aviation Group has released a statement explaining they are “actively working to obtain more information, while confirming that 2 crew members and 7 passengers died in the crash.
