5 killed after their airplane crashes in Arkansas, US

Five employees of an environmental consulting firm died on Wednesday when the airplane they were traveling in crashed outside an industrial area of Little Rock, the capital city of Arkansas. The incident happened shortly after the plane took off.

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Cody Burk said that the twin-engine plane crashed several miles south of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), five people were on board the plane.

The crash occurred as a line of thunderstorms moved through the Little Rock area. Authorities will decide if the weather was a factor in the crash. Nearby residents said they saw an intense fire from the crash. The FAA said the plane was headed to Ohio. It added that it will investigate the search along with the National Transportation Safety Board.

CTEH, an environmental consulting firm based in North Little Rock, said the five people on board the plane — including the pilot — were its employees. A company spokesman said that the employees were flying to Ohio after an explosion occurred at a metals plant that killed one worker and injured several more.