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Multiple People Dead in Small Plane Crash in Lafayette, La., Official Says 5 Dead in Small Plane Crash in Lafayette, La., Official Says
(32 minutes later)
Several people died after a small plane crashed next to a post office in Lafayette, La., on Saturday, the fire chief said. At least five people died after a small plane crashed next to a post office in Lafayette, La., on Saturday, the city’s Fire Department said.
Chief Robert P. Benoit of the Lafayette Fire Department said that multiple people were dead and that at least one person survived the crash, but he did not immediately have the exact number of deaths or survivors. Alton Trahan, a spokesman for the Lafayette Fire Department, said that five people had died in the crash. He said two people had been taken to hospitals, one from the plane and one from the ground.
“We had a small plane crash and a few fatalities,” he said. Robert P. Benoit, the fire chief, said investigators were at the scene and working to confirm how many people had been on the plane when it crashed into a lot next to the post office.
Videos and photographs posted online showed flames and pieces of metal in a field and a parking lot next to United States Postal Service mail trucks. A woman was taken to Lafayette General Medical Center and was listed in critical condition, said Patricia Thompson, a spokeswoman for Lafayette General Health System. Because the crash was near a post office and other businesses, “we can’t be sure at this point if she was on the plane or a bystander,” Ms. Thompson said.
Videos and photographs posted online showed flames and pieces of metal in a field and a parking lot next to United States Postal Service trucks.
Lois Comeaux was at a Walmart next to the post office when she heard a “big boom” and the store went dark. Ms. Comeaux said she saw pieces of the plane in a vacant lot behind the post office, and that some of the post office’s windows had been blown out by the force of the crash.Lois Comeaux was at a Walmart next to the post office when she heard a “big boom” and the store went dark. Ms. Comeaux said she saw pieces of the plane in a vacant lot behind the post office, and that some of the post office’s windows had been blown out by the force of the crash.
“There’s a big vacant lot, and there are three big pieces of plane,” she said.“There’s a big vacant lot, and there are three big pieces of plane,” she said.
Emergency vehicles had swarmed the area, she said, and firefighters appeared to be putting out small fires.Emergency vehicles had swarmed the area, she said, and firefighters appeared to be putting out small fires.
Rebecca Simon said she had just pulled into her garage, less than a mile from the site of the crash, when she heard a plane fly unusually low over her house.
“Right after, there was a really loud noise that shook the garage door, and the electricity blinked, then went out,” she said.
Her roommate called the electric company to find out what was going on, but then they heard sirens and saw smoke outside.
Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.