Florida jet crash: Nine dead as Learjet crashes into shoulder, explodes in massive fireball — Video | What we know so far

Nine people died when a private plane crashed into a South Florida neighborhood, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The plane was flying from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas when it crashed. The incident was caught on camera.

Here’s what we know so far:

1. Nine people aboard a Learjet plane headed from Austin to the Bahamas were killed when it crashed in Florida’s Palm Beach County on Sunday. The Learjet 60 crashed near Cresthaven at 12:50 p.m., US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X.

2. The crash happened near Cresthaven, a neighborhood in Palm Beach County that is less than 7 miles from Mar-a-Lago, AFP reported. The crash site is a short distance from Greenacres, Fla., city fire chief Phillip Konz told Bloomberg, as quoted by Bloomberg.

3. The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to the scene to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, Duffy said.

4. The jet headed east at 35,000 feet (about 11 kilometers) when the pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested a climb of 2,000 feet, the AP reported.

It entered a steep descent moments later, according to air traffic control records and flight tracking data cited by the AP. The pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls, the AP reported. The aircraft banked sharply to the right before plummeting to the ground.

5. Several unverified clips of the deadly crash posted on social media show the plane crashing into the ground almost vertically at high speed, launching a large fireball and leaving a burning crater near a busy road.

NTSB officials plan to hold a media briefing on Monday, the safety board said.

“Obviously this was a catastrophic plane crash,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters in a video released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. “It looked like a rocket had come down and left a big crater on the side of the road.

About 600 residents are being assisted with temporary shelter and other essentials, according to the sheriff’s office.

The plane departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the FAA.