5 killed as plane smashes into Melbourne shopping mall – Victoria police (VIDEO)
A charter plane has crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet shopping mall near Essendon airport in Melbourne, likely killing all five people aboard, police in the state of Victoria have announced.
"There were five people on the airplane and it looks like nobody's survived the crash," Victoria state police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane said.
Earlier, Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews announced that “a number of people” died in the crash, calling it “the worst civil aviation accident that our state has seen for 30 years."
The incident happened at around 9am local time Tuesday. It’s understood the flight took off at 8:30am from Essendon, which Reuters reports is a small airfield mainly used by light planes, and was bound for King Island.
Police have confirmed to local media that the pilot was able to send out a distress call, in which he claimed the plane, believed to be a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a small, twin-turboprop aircraft, was experiencing “catastrophic engine failure.”
On reviewing detailed data, it appears the crashed aircraft in Melbourne is VH-ZCR—a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air. https://t.co/ax8UA706wDpic.twitter.com/sDfhJ6VriR
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 20, 2017
Flight path of the aircraft. Possibly catastrophic engine failure.
— Matt Di Toro (@matt_ditoro) February 20, 2017
Whatever happened, it happened very quickly. #Essendonpic.twitter.com/gJE2TIPLvc
The shopping center was not due to open until 10am, according to local sources. The Air Operations Unit of the Melbourne Fire Brigade are preparing to deploy an aerial drone to help battle the blaze.
#UPDATE The DFO was not due to open to the public until 10am. @VictoriaPolice say they have no information regarding casualties. #KIISnewspic.twitter.com/qNslyXhFQQ
— Clare Todhunter (@claretodhunter) February 20, 2017
MFB's Air Operations Unit preparing to launch RPAS (drone) to assist crews on the ground at DFO incident near #Essendon. pic.twitter.com/v2wUD4GLy6
— MFB (@MFB_NEWS) February 20, 2017
A plane has crashed on approach to Essendon Airport. pic.twitter.com/mAVAMYNcDc
— ABC Radio Melbourne (@abcmelbourne) February 20, 2017
Debris from the crash has forced the closure of a number of lanes on the nearby Tullamarine Freeway and motorists are urged to avoid the area.
At this stage we do not have information regarding possible casualties. Police currently evacuating area. Please avoid the area. (2/2)
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) February 20, 2017
Initial reports on social media speculated that the aircraft was an air ambulance but that has been denied by Ambulance Victoria in a tweet.
Contrary to media reports the plane that has crashed at Essendon is not an Ambulance Victoria aircraft.
— Ambulance Victoria (@AmbulanceVic) February 20, 2017
Flights in and out of Melbourne’s main airport have not been affected, a spokeswoman for Airservices Australia told Reuters.
Driving by a possible plane crash at #Essendon Airport and DFO pic.twitter.com/JpSCKbgxHN
— Belinda (@pelagonianprncs) February 20, 2017