Child Among 7 Dead In Philadelphia Air Ambulance Crash, 19 Injured In Explosion

<p>At least seven people were killed and 19 others were injured after the air ambulance crashed to the ground in Philadelphia on Friday night.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Saturday confirmed the casualties at a press conference. The medical transport jet had six people on board and all of them were killed in the crash, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Associated Press reported.</p>
<p>Additionally, one other person on the ground who was in a car at the time of the crash was also killed.</p>
<p>The crash happened shortly after the jet took off on Friday evening, but ended up crashing into a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall and exploding in a fireball which engulfed several homes in the densely populated neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Those killed on the jet included a child who was receiving treatment at a hospital in the US, her mother, and four crew members. All the people on board were from Mexico. The child had just completed her treatment at Shriners Children hospital in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>In a statement on the X on Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the deaths in the tragic crash. “I mourn the passing of six Mexicans in the aviation accident in Philadelphia, United States. Consular authorities are in constant contact with the families; I&rsquo;ve asked the Foreign Affairs Secretary to support whatever is needed. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends,” she said in a statement translated from Spanish, as reported by AP.</p>
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<p>Shriners spokesperson Mel Bower said in a statement that the child was being transported back to her home country in Mexico on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened. “Because of patient privacy concerns, we cannot say any more about the patient and her family at this time,” she added.</p>
<p>Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is based in Mexico but operates in both the US and Mexico. It operated the Learjet 55, which was registered in Mexico. The jet was supposed to land in Tijuana after a stop in Missouri.</p>
<p>Jet Rescue spokesperson Shai Gold said that the plane was operated by a seasoned crew and all flight crews undergo rigorous training, AP reported.</p>
<p>”When an incident like this happens, it&rsquo;s shocking and surprising,” Gold told AP. “All of the aircraft are maintained, not a penny is spared because we know our mission is so critical.”</p>
<p>The crash came just two days after the deadliest US air disaster on Wednesday night, when an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers. The crash happened in midair in Washington, D.C. over the Potomac River. There were no survivors.</p>
<p>The Friday crash in Philadelphia was the second fatal incident for Jet Rescue in 15 months. In 2023 five crew members died after their plane overran a runway in the central Mexican state of Morelos, crashing into a hillside.</p>
<p>Reacting to the Philadelphia crash, US President Donald Trump, in a post on the social media platform Truth Social, said: “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>The crash occurred less than 4 kilometres from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which serves chartered flights and business jets.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Federal Aviation Administration said the investigation will be led by the National Transportation Safety Board, which said that an investigator had arrived on Friday and more officials would follow on Saturday.</p>