MIAMI, Feb 2, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A small plane crashed into a mobile home park
in the southeastern US state of Florida on Thursday killing several people,
local authorities said.

"I can confirm that we have several fatalities both from the aircraft and
within the mobile homes," Scott Ehlers, fire chief for the coastal town of
Clearwater, told a press conference.

The accident occurred at 7 pm (0000 GMT Friday), shortly after a nearby
airport received an alert about a plane in trouble, Ehlers said.

Firefighters extinguished the fires at Bayside Waters mobile home park caused
by the crashed aircraft.

At least three houses were damaged by fire and a fourth was directly bit by
the plane, according to the fire chief.

Residents of the other houses were unharmed, he added.

The pilot of the plane, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, had reported
an engine failure prior to the accident, local media reported citing the
Federal Aviation Administration.