SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Latest on a military cargo plane crash in Georgia (all times local):
4:10 p.m.
Denise Barnes was at her desk at a construction firm when she heard a boom so loud it shook the building and windows rattled.
An administrative assistant at the firm, Barnes says workers initially thought something had exploded out back of their building. She adds: “We were running out the back and then we saw black smoke just billowing with flames shooting up.”
A co-worker told Barnes he had seen something fall from the sky. Barnes frantically called 911.
Authorities say a Puerto Rico Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed Wednesday onto a busy highway after taking off from an airport in the Savannah area. They say at least five National Guard members from Puerto Rico were killed.
Barnes says the crash was several hundred yards (meters) away from her office but the flames were so intense “you could feel a little bit of heat coming off of it.”
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3:50 p.m.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and the top official in the Puerto Rico National Guard are expressing their sorrow following the crash of an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane in Georgia.
Rossello and Adjutant Gen. Isabelo Rivera said Wednesday afternoon that their prayers are with the families of those who were on the plane. They say they are awaiting more information about the deadly crash and have pledged their full support to the families of the crew and passengers.
The plane crashed about 11:30 a.m. shortly after taking off from Savannah, Georgia. The plane was bound for Arizona.
The governor’s statement says the names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of their families.
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3:35 p.m.
A spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard says authorities don’t yet know what caused a military cargo plane to crash after taking off from a Savannah, Georgia, airport, killing at least five.
Senior Master Sgt. Roger Parsons told reporters authorities are still working to make the crash site safe for investigators to come in.
The C-130 cargo plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico. It crashed around 11:30 a.m. near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
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2:20 p.m.
A spokesman for the Puerto Rico National Guard says the military cargo plane that crashed outside Savannah, Georgia, was on its way to Arizona.
At least five people were killed in the Wednesday crash. Maj. Paul Dahlen says it’s a sad day for Puerto Rico’s National Guard.
The C-130 cargo plane crashed around 11:30 a.m. near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
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1:50 p.m.
A Georgia Air National Guard spokesman says at least five people have died in a military plane crash near the Savannah, Georgia, airport.
Capt. Jeff Bezore of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Air Wing said he couldn’t say how many people in total were on the plane that crashed Wednesday around 11:30 a.m.
The Air Force says the plane was an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico.
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1:15 p.m.
Chatham County Deputy Coroner Tiffany Williams says police tell her two people have been killed in the crash of a military cargo plane near an airport in Savannah, Georgia.
Williams said she didn’t have any other details on the deaths Wednesday.
The Air Force says the plane was an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico. The 165th Air Wing out of Savannah was responding to the crash.
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12:25 p.m.
The Air Force says an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane has crashed near an airport in Savannah, Georgia.
In a tweet, the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency says the plane crashed Wednesday at the intersection of two roads.
There was no immediate word of injuries.
A photo tweeted by the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association shows the tail end of a plane and a field of flames and black smoke along the side of a road as an ambulance stands nearby.
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