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Plane carrying five people crashes into Melbourne shopping centre Five killed as plane crashes into Australian shopping centre
(about 7 hours later)
A plane carrying five people has crashed into a shopping centre near Essendon airport in Melbourne, Australia. An Australian pilot and four American tourists on a golfing vacation were killed when a light plane crashed in flames into a shopping centre shortly after takeoff in the Australian city of Melbourne. 
The aircraft – believed to be a twin-engined turboprop – smashed into the DFO shopping centre, exploding on impact, at around 0900 local time (2200 GMT) on Tuesday. The five were on a twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air that crashed about 45 minutes before the Direct Factory Outlet mall in suburban Essendon was to open, Police Minister Lisa Neville said. 
State police in Victoria have confirmed five people were on board the plane, and said there were “a number of fatalities”. A witness who gave his name as Jason told Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the plane came in "really low and fast" before it exploded into "a massive fireball" on impact. 
The shopping centre is on the edge of Essendon airport, which does not open to the public until 10am. "I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel — it looked like a plane wheel — bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along," he said. 
It has been reported by Australian news channels that staff working in the store hit by the plane were unharmed.  
Eight fire crews are reported to be battling the blaze which broke out in the shopping centre following the crash.  
Eyewitnesses described seeing “an orange explosion”. Sun Herald columnist Mikey Cahill said: “I saw a yellow and red fiery ball explode and then black plumes of smoke.” The US Embassy in Canberra confirmed that four victims were American citizens.
The plane was a charter flight to King Island in Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and the southern island state of Tasmania. It is believed to have come down shortly after take-off. Texans Greg Reynolds De Haven and Russell Munsch have been identified by their families on social media as two of the victims. 
Victoria’s Minister for Police Lisa Neville told Sky News: “It appears to be a very, very tragic accident that's occurred out here. Mr De Haven's sister Denelle Wicht posted on Facebook that her 70-year-old brother had been killed "on a once in a lifetime trip to Australia" with friends. 
“It appears that a light plane which was a charter flight has impacted the DFO out at Essendon Fields. There is also debris that has been left on the Freeway. It is too early yet to know whether there have been any injuries or fatalities.” The pilot was Max Quartermain, owner of the charter company Corporate and Leisure Travel. 
Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane said no one outside the plane was injured. 
"Looking at the fireball, it is incredibly lucky that no one was at the back of those stores or in the car park of the stores, that no one was even hurt," Mr Leane said. The plane was a charter flight to King Island in Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and the southern island state of Tasmania. It is believed to have come down shortly after take-off.
Several images of the crash appeared on social media, where there was incorrect speculation that the aircraft was an air ambulance.Several images of the crash appeared on social media, where there was incorrect speculation that the aircraft was an air ambulance.
Pilot radar websites reportedly indicate the plane was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air.
Essendon Airport is a small airfield used mainly by light planes. A spokeswoman for Airservice Australia said flights in and out of Melbourne’s main airport were not affected.Essendon Airport is a small airfield used mainly by light planes. A spokeswoman for Airservice Australia said flights in and out of Melbourne’s main airport were not affected.
The accident is the worst plane crash in the state for the last 30 years, authorities said.The accident is the worst plane crash in the state for the last 30 years, authorities said.
Reuters contributed to this report.