All seven people aboard a private plane that crashed in a Massachusetts air field and erupted into a fireball have been killed, US authorities say.
"There were no survivors," said Matthew Brelis, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Hanscom Field in Bedford, where the Gulfstream IV crashed as it was leaving about 9:40pm local time for Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people on board and their loved ones," Brelis said before a news conference announcing the deaths.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. And authorities did not say what they think caused the crash. They said the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate and determine what happened.
Nearby residents recounted seeing a fireball and feeling the blast of the explosion shake their homes.
Jeff Patterson told The Boston Globe newspaper that he saw a fireball about 18 metres in the air and suspected the worst for those aboard the plane.
"I heard a big boom, and I thought at the time that someone was trying to break into my house because it shook it," said Patterson's son, 14-year-old Jared Patterson. "I thought someone was like banging on the door trying to get in."
The air field, which serves the public, was closed after the crash. Brelis said responders were still on the scene early Sunday morning.
Hanscom Field is about 32 km northwest of Boston, and acts as a corporate reliever for Boston Logan International Airport.
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