Militia cargo airplane crashes in Georgia, killing 5

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — An Air National Guard C-one hundred thirty cargo airplane on a training mission crashed Wednesday alongside a highway advance a Georgia airport, killing no longer no longer up to 5 National Guard people from Puerto Rico, authorities mentioned.

Dim smoke rose into the sky from a section of the airplane that gave the influence to have crashed into a median on the highway. Firefighters later set up out the blaze.

Capt. Jeff Bezore, a spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Air Flit, mentioned the atomize killed no longer no longer up to 5 of us. He mentioned he couldn’t issue what number of folk in total have been on the airplane when it crashed around Eleven:30 a.m.

The Air Power mentioned the airplane belonged to the 156th Air Flit out of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico National Guard Spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen told The Linked Press that every person those aboard have been Puerto Ricans who had lately left the U.S. territory for a mission on the U.S. mainland. He mentioned preliminary info indicated there have been 5 to nine of us aboard the airplane, which was heading to Arizona. He didn’t have info on the mission.

« It be a unhappy day for the National Guard, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all americans intriguing and all americans with the National Guard as we work by this, » he mentioned.

A say tweeted by the Savannah Expert Firefighters Affiliation reveals the tail extinguish of a airplane and a field of flames and sunless smoke as an ambulance stood nearby.

The most intelligent half of the airplane that remained intact was the tail piece, mentioned Chris Hanks, the assistant public info officer with the Savannah Expert Firefighters Affiliation. The tail piece was sitting on Toll road 21 and the ground in front of it was sunless and suffering from particles, he mentioned.

The Savannah Air National Guard says the airplane was doing a training mission when it crashed advance the Savannah/Hilton Head Global Airport.

Savannah’s Air National Guard defective has been heavily occupied with hurricane restoration efforts in Puerto Rico. In September 2017, it was designated by the Air National Guard as the hub of operations to the island within the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the defective introduced on the time.

Savannah/Hilton Head Global Airport mentioned on social media that some flights have been being affected even when the atomize occurred off its property. The airport told passengers to examine with their airline for updated flight info.

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Linked Press reporter Danica Coto contributed to this document from San Juan, Puerto Rico