9 dead as jet nosedives and erupts into fireball near busy roadway in South Florida

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 died Sunday afternoon when the business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The crash occurred near Cresthaven, in an area described by IOL as being miles from Mar-a-Lago.

Social media footage showed the aircraft slamming into the ground at high speed and triggering a large explosion. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the event as a "jarring" tragedy, comparing the descent to a missile. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores noted the crash left a massive crater near a road by a mobile home park entrance, resulting in the evacuation of approximately 600 people to two county shelters.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched investigations into the crash. Dawn reports that the Learjet 60's owner is listed as a Delaware corporation, and Bombardier has stated it will cooperate with the investigation. Reports from IOL and Dawn noted that storms and heavy rainfall were occurring in the area at the time.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, IOL, Dawn — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.