At least five people were killed in a plane crash in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Sunday, officials said, as it crashed minutes after taking off from Grand Strand Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Sunday that the plane crashed two miles northwest of the airport.
“The Horry County Coroner’s Office is still in the process of identifying the victims. They will release information once everyone has been identified and their next of kin have been notified,” said Pat Wilkinson, public information officer for the North Myrtle Beach Police. CNN,
The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the accident.
Horry County Coroner Tamara Willard told the media that four died at the scene and one was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to flight Aware According to the data, the aircraft – a Piper PA-32R-300 – took off at 11:02 am and crashed at 11:03 am.
The coroner’s office also said that the identities of the victims would be revealed after their families were notified.
According to local media reports, many of the victims are relatives and their families are from other countries.
The aircraft seats six people and is considered by aviation experts to be a “high-performance” single-engine aircraft.
Meanwhile, the road on which the debris fell was closed and reopened only on Monday night, police said. The accident happened on Pete Dye Drive just off Gray Heron Road.
Local reports suggest that the plane’s registration number – N5524F – indicated that it belonged to New Jersey native Joseph T. Farnese. But it is not clear whether he was flying the plane or was on board WBTW News 13,
