Images show aftermath left behind from deadly plane crash in Philadelphia
Seven people died and at least 22 people were injured after a medical jet crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue near the Roosevelt Mall.
The impact of the crash caused an explosion and set several homes on fire and debris scattered blocks away.
Six of the seven people who died were aboard the Learjet 55 aircraft that took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. All six of the people were Mexican citizens. They were identified on Sunday by the Mexico-based company that was operating the small plane.
The small plane was on its way to Springfield, Missouri, and took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport before it crashed. It was in the air for less than one minute.
The other person who died was on the ground at the time the plane crashed into the street, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said on Saturday. The person's identity isn't known at this time. Five of the 22 people injured in the crash are still hospitalized, including three in critical condition.
Images from Northeast Philly show a chaotic scene that first responders rushed to minutes after the plane crashed into a very busy area of the city.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and will be picking up debris for the next several days or weeks. Two plane engines and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from the scene. Officials said they also found the airplane's enhanced ground proximity warning system, which could contain flight data.
During Sunday's press conference, officials said it could take days and weeks before many questions about the crash are answered.
The debris block covers four to six city blocks, according to Philadelphia's Managing Director Adam Thiel.
The NTSB is identifying the crash as an accident.
The six people on the medical jet included a pediatric patient who had just finished treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital, along with her mother and four crew members, on their way back to Mexico.
"It's extremely hard and extremely difficult, those that were involved directly in her care were very aware that she was going to be traveling home and there had actually been a sendoff for her today," Mel Bower, a spokesperson for the hospital, said Friday evening.
Neighbors in the area of the crash are still processing what happened. They described the scene as surreal. Doorbell cameras from homes in the area caught the moment the plane crashed and fell from the sky.
An explosion after the crash led to multiple homes catching fire, and one woman was forced to evacuate her house after it was engulfed in flames.
T'Chala Brooker, a Mount Airy resident, drove a few miles to the crash scene and left flowers.
"Everything that happens here affects all of us, not just one of us," Brooker said. "I wanted to show solidarity. I'm here, I'm here for any and everybody, not just those who lost their lives, but the ones that are still here. They're going to need support."
Waleska Matos, who lives on St. Vincent Street near the crash, was shopping at Macy's when she received a frantic phone call from her son.
"It was traumatizing actually," Matos said. "My son called me and said, 'Mom, the house is going to fall apart.'"
"It was just a scary thought, doomsday when I couldn't get to my son," Matos said. "It felt like a movie."