A tragic plane crash rocked the state of Mississippi this Saturday after a plane crashed near Tupelo Regional Airport early in the morning, authorities said.
The information was confirmed by Tupelo Fire Department Sgt. Michael Moody to CBS News, but the identities of the deceased have not been released. It was also not specified what type of plane was flying, nor the number of people on board.
However, Moody’s clarified that all the information not yet confirmed will be shared in the next few hours.
For his part, Charles Johnson, an eyewitness to the accident, told the WCBI media that he and his wife were driving on a nearby road when he saw a plane leaning “very strongly”, and also saw “the column of smoke”.
“I told my wife, ‘That plane crashed,'” Johnson said, adding that he stopped to see if there was anyone he could help, but acknowledged that there was a “huge flame” in the debris field.
Given this, the witness reported that he realized that “there was nothing left to do.” Later, emergency services arrived, including members of the National Guard, and fire trucks were on the scene within three minutes, Johnson added.
The events occurred at the Tupelo Regional Airport, which has served as a transportation hub for northern Mississippi for more than 65 years.
The population of Tupelo is approximately 38,000 people, and it is located about 190 miles from Jackson, the capital of the state of Mississippi.
With information from CBS News
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