Two people have reportedly lost their lives following a mid-air collision between two planes at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona.
According to Mirror, eyewitnesses described seeing thick plumes of smoke rising from the crash site, near Tucson, where both aircraft which had occupants, collided.
Confirming the incident, the Marana Police Department said: “The Marana Police Department is currently on-scene at the Marana Regional Airport located at 11700 W. Avra Valley Rd. in reference to an aircraft collision.
“There has been at least one confirmed deceased individual. Details are limited at this time. Media staging will be in the large dirt parking lot outside of the Marana Regional Airport. FAA and NTSB will be responding.”
Initially, authorities reported one fatality, but a later update confirmed that a second person had died. Officials have yet to release the identities of the victims.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have decided to carry out an investigation to understand the cause behind the collision.
While the FAA will assess safety and regulatory concerns, the NTSB will focus on reconstructing the events that led to the crash.
TheNewsguru reports that this recent tragedy follows a series of aviation accidents in the United States. On Feburauy 18th, a Delta Airlines flight in Toronto flipped upside down, leaving passengers suspended while fuel leaked through the windows.
Of the 21 people injured, 19 have since been discharged from the hospital. Last month, a major disaster occurred when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 fatalities.
This crash, which happened on January 29, temporarily halted operations at Ronald Reagan National Airport.