Chartered Plane Crashes In Mumbai, Several Feared Dead, Many Trapped In Aircraft

Update: 7:35 a.m. EDT — Five people were confirmed dead, following the chartered plane crash in Ghatkopar area, a Mumbai police spokesman said in a statement, Economic Times reported.

“The aircraft took off from Juhu airport for test flight. There were two pilots and two AMEs on board. All on board aircraft along with one person on ground are dead. Accident site is Ghatkopar, Mumbai,” said a statement from the aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Former aviation minister Praful Patel praised the pilot of the plane that crashed Thursday for showing the presence of mind and guiding the aircraft into an open area before the tragedy, which undoubtedly saved many lives.

Original story

A chartered plane crashed in the suburb area of the Indian city of Mumbai, on Thursday, killing five people, including a passerby.

The incident took place at 1:30 p.m. local time (4 a.m. EDT) near a construction site in Ghatkopar area. The aircraft in question, as identified by Indian news outlet India Today, is VT-UPZ, KING AIR C90, owned by a Mumbai-based company called UY aviation, which was earlier owned by the government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was flying toward Juhu Airport, Mumbai, when the plane crashed.

Fire engines and ambulances have rushed to the crash site and rescue efforts are underway. Five people are feared dead, including two pilots, two aircraft maintenance engineers and a pedestrian, according to multiple news reports. It is not yet known how many people were inside the aircraft. The pilot of the plane along with other people are believed to be trapped inside as firefighters struggled to get them out.

However, within a few minutes the firemen were able to extinguish the blaze at the crash site. A video of the aircraft after it had crashed was shared on social media by news agency ANI:

Prapti Pednekar, a resident in the area, told news daily Indian Express: “There is a lot of smoke and no clarity how many people are inside. The passerby who died when the aircraft crashed was taken away in an ambulance.”

Director general of Civil Aviation, B.S. Bhullar, said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will conduct a detailed probe into the crash. According to a statement from the Uttar Pradesh government, the aviation company was sold to Mumbai after one of its planes was involved in another crash in the past.

"The deal was done after the plane had met with an accident in Allahabad," UP's Principal Secretary (Information) Avnish Awasthi told India Today.

The cause of the crash has not been determined yet.

This is a developing story.