A medical jet with six Mexican nationals on board crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood on Friday, killing all people on board and sparking fires that engulfed multiple homes.
The victims included a child patient, her mother, and four crew members, all of whom were Mexican nationals, according to the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The number of casualties on the ground remains unclear as emergency responders continue to assess the situation.
This marks another US aviation disaster after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in Washington earlier last week.
Video footage appeared to show the twin-engine plane descending at a sharp angle towards a residential area, sparking a huge fireball upon impact and showering wreckage over homes and vehicles.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft was a Learjet 55 -- an American-French business jet -- that had taken off shortly before from Northeast Philadelphia Airport bound for Branson, Missouri.
The crash happened just after 6:00pm local time.
A young girl who had been in the United States for medical care, her mother, and members of the flight and medical crews accompanying her onboard were killed in the crash, the children's hospital that treated her told AFP.
"The patient had received care from Shriners Children's Philadelphia and was being transported back to her home country in Mexico on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened," said Mel Bower, a spokesman for Shriners Children's.
"The airline company... confirmed to the consulate that six people of Mexican nationality were traveling on the aircraft," the ministry wrote on X.
The operator, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, confirmed in a statement to US media that there were two passengers and four crew, adding, "At this time, we cannot confirm any survivors."
Dozens of emergency workers were on the scene outside Roosevelt Mall, a strip mall in Northeast Philadelphia with retailers and food outlets.
US President Donald Trump posted on Friday on his Truth Social platform that he was "sad" to see "more souls lost" in the Philadelphia tragedy. He praised first responders, adding: "God Bless you all."
Witnesses told local TV crews that they saw body parts in or near the wreckage, as Philadelphia City Council member Mike Driscoll said he feared residents or others on the ground may have been killed.
"It doesn't look good. And it's a sad situation here," he told CNN.
The FAA said it was launching an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board.
