Nine Killed as a Learjet Bound for the Bahamas Crashes Into a South Florida Neighborhood

All nine people aboard a business jet were killed on Sunday, Nov. 1, when the aircraft crashed into a mobile home neighborhood in South Florida and erupted in flames, federal officials said, in reports by Reuters, USA Today and the BBC read by this desk. The Learjet 60 crashed at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern in the area of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North near Greenacres, sparking several fires, scattering debris across a wide area and causing extensive damage.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed in a social media post that all nine people aboard were killed, calling the crash a horrific tragedy, according to the reports. It was not immediately known on Sunday whether anyone on the ground was injured, and the people aboard had not been identified in the reports read this cycle.

The cause of the crash was unknown on Sunday. The crash site is in an unincorporated area near the communities of Greenacres and Palm Springs in Palm Beach County, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office closed all lanes of Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, urging motorists to avoid the area. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB leading the investigation and providing updates. This is a major national story carried under the network's national-news door; no Newark or Essex County connection was reported, and none is claimed here.