7 dead, 19 injured in a plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia

A twin-engine medevac plane carrying a child patient and her mother crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia Friday night, killing seven people, one of whom was in a car on the ground, according to Philadelphia's mayor Saturday morning. At least 19 people were hurt on the ground.

Mexico's president stated Saturday morning that the six persons on the plane were Mexican nationals.

The jet accident occurred roughly 150 miles northeast of Washington, DC, as investigators continue to investigate Wednesday's fatal collision.

Temple University Hospital said Saturday morning that six patients had been treated and released from the Jeanes Campus. One individual is hospitalized at the Main Campus and is classified in fair condition.

A pediatric patient is being treated at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

“It is entirely possible there will be changes to those casualty figures,” Philadelphia’s managing director Adam Thiel said Saturday at a news conference. “It will likely be days or more until we are able to definitively answer the question about the number of folks who perished in this tragedy.”

Thiel stated that the impact area from the incident spans around four to six blocks, and officials have discovered debris across the city. “It’s a very widespread area and we’re still trying to determine the entire scope.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker advised neighbors who may have been there during the explosion to search their vehicles and property for any evidence.

“Don’t touch it, just call 911,” she said.

The Philadelphia plane tragedy occurred just days after 67 people were killed when an American Airlines airliner and a Black Hawk helicopter collided at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. The DC aircraft tragedy is the first significant commercial crash in the United States in over 15 years.

According to ADS-B Exchange data, the jet took off just after 6 p.m. ET and flew to a height of 1,650 feet before dropping. The data indicates that the ultimate speed of fall was 11,000 feet per minute.

As an air traffic controller tries to contact the plane, there’s a callout, heard on LiveATC.net, “Medevac med service, northeast tower. Medevac medical service, northeast tower. Are you on frequency?”

A little over a minute later, the controller is heard saying: “We have a lost aircraft.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has stated that he will give all Commonwealth resources as the emergency response unfolds. Sen. John Fetterman also stated on social media that he was in contact with Philadelphia's mayor and awaited additional information.

Shapiro told reporters Friday night that members of the state's emergency management and transportation departments, as well as 45 state troopers, are on the ground. The state's environmental protection department is also ensuring that dangerous items "are addressed," according to Shapiro.