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| Light plane crashes into Melbourne shopping complex | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A plane carrying five people has crashed into a Melbourne shopping complex, Australian authorities say. | |
| "It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO [building] at Essendon Fields," Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. | |
| Police have not released details of possible casualties, while a retailer said all its staff were accounted for. | |
| The crash happened near Melbourne's small Essendon Airport. | The crash happened near Melbourne's small Essendon Airport. |
| Ms Neville said it appeared the five people were travelling to Tasmania's King Island, in nearby Bass Strait. | |
| "It appears to be a very, very tragic accident that has occurred out there," she said. | "It appears to be a very, very tragic accident that has occurred out there," she said. |
| A spokeswoman for Spotlight, a retailer in the complex, said the plane crashed into its rear warehouse but all staff were safe. | |
| Essendon Airport is small airfield mostly used by light planes about 13km (8 miles) north-west of central Melbourne. | Essendon Airport is small airfield mostly used by light planes about 13km (8 miles) north-west of central Melbourne. |
| Damage at scene | Damage at scene |
| Video broadcast on local media showed black smoke rising from the wreckage. | Video broadcast on local media showed black smoke rising from the wreckage. |
| Witness Daniel May said he was waiting for the shopping centre to open when the the plane came down. | Witness Daniel May said he was waiting for the shopping centre to open when the the plane came down. |
| "There was an orange explosion and then smoke," he told The Age. "Emergency crews rushed very quickly in, soon after, and I left the area." | "There was an orange explosion and then smoke," he told The Age. "Emergency crews rushed very quickly in, soon after, and I left the area." |
| Police said they were evacuating the scene and a nearby freeway was closed in both directions. | Police said they were evacuating the scene and a nearby freeway was closed in both directions. |
| King Island, popular for its beaches and dairy farms, lies 245km (150 miles) south of Victoria. |