Five killed as chartered plane crashes in a busy Mumbai suburb

At least five persons, including a pedestrian were killed, when a chartered plane crashed in the thickly populated suburb of Ghatkopar in north-east Mumbai, officials said.

It is being reported that chartered aircraft was bought from the UP Govt by UY Aviation Pvt Ltd. There were two pilots and two AMEs on board. All aboard the plane are said to be dead. As per rescue officials, the identities of the dead are yet to be ascertained.

Eyewitnesses said the plane was seen hurtling down and crashed with a deafening roar before bursting into flames around 1:15 PM.

A passerby in the vicinity of the crash was burnt fatally when some fuel from the aircraft fell on him, said an eyewitness, who was among the first to reach the spot.

As per preliminary information, the aircraft was on a test flight and had taken off from Juhu Airport minutes before it crashed.

The cause of the crash is not known. It occurred at an under construction building premises, averting what could have been a major disaster.

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, expressed deep shock over the crash of the chartered aircraft in Ghatkopar, Mumbai.

“Union minister has instructed the concerned officials to rush to the accident spot in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai and provide all possible assistance. DGCA has been asked to conduct an investigation into the crash,” a ministry spokesperson said.

(With PTI inputs)