5 killed as small plane crashes in India

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India

At least five people were killed as a small plane crashed in Mumbai on Thursday, local media reported.

According to the Times of India, the aircraft crashed onto a building under construction at around 1.30 p.m. local time (0800 GMT).

The images on national television showed black smoke rising from the wreckage. The plane is a Beechcraft King Air C90 turboprop.

“The aircraft took off from Juhu airport for a test flight. There were two pilots and two aircraft maintenance engineers on board. All of them, along with one person on the ground, are dead," B.S. Bhullar, director general of the country’s civil aviation, said in a statement.

According to media reports, the turboprop aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air C90, belonged to Mumbai-based UY Aviation company.

Bhullar also announced that a probe into the plane crash will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

The cause of the accident is still unknown.