Learjet jet crash that killed nine was 'cataclysmic,' DeSantis says
Speaking at a news conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of people on the ground being killed or injured.
Tom Elia- Gov. Ron DeSantis described Nov. 1 Learjet crash that killed nine people near Greenacres as "cataclysmic."
- Federal officials are investigating the crash, which occurred during stormy weather.
- Approximately 600 residents near the crash site were evacuated to county shelters.
Gov. Ron DeSantis described Sunday's Learjet crash near Greenacres that killed all nine people aboard as a "cataclysmic plane crash. It looked like a missile going down."
Speaking near the scene of the crash, DeSantis said that as of Sunday afternoon, there were no reports of people on the ground who died or were injured. He noted that the debris from the crash covered a huge radius.
He said federal aviation officials were expected in Palm Beach County as soon as Sunday night and would conduct their investigation into the cause.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office broadcast DeSantis' afternoon news conference on its Facebook page.
The crash happened at about 12:50 p.m., with the jet landing in a mobile-home park near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard. Afternoon storms covered much of South Florida, bringing with them gusts of wind near 25 mph at patches of lightning.
The plane was en route to the Bahamas from Austin, Texas. Federal Aviation Administration had not identified anyone aboard the plane as of 7 p.m. Sunday.
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo, appearing with DeSantis at the news conference, said the county would submit to the governor an emergency declaration to help deal with the aftermath of the crash.
County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents the Palm Springs area and also attended the news conference, said his first concern is evacuating about 600 people who live in a community next to the crash site. He said they could not stay there Sunday night while the FAA investigates the crash.
The people would move to one of two county shelters until they could return to their homes.
Flores said the crash left a "massive crater" in the ground along Military Trail. Flores said he cannot imagine the road will open to southbound traffic within the next 30 days.
DeSantis, Flores and Abruzzo each praised the work of first responders in the aftermath of the crash.
Tom Elia is an editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.