AFP/Washington
A plane crash in the US state of South Dakota killed nine people, including two children, and injured three others on Saturday while a winter storm warning was in place, officials said.
The Pilatus PC-12, a single-engine turboprop plane, crashed shortly after take-off approximately a mile from the Chamberlain airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Among the dead was the plane's pilot, Brule County state's attorney Theresa Maule Rossow said, adding that a total of 12 people had been on board.
The three survivors had been taken to the hospital in Sioux Falls, she told US media.
The flight left the airport just before noon local time, with a destination of Idaho Falls Regional Airport in the western state of Idaho.
The FAA said investigators were en route to the crash site and that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would be in charge of the investigation.
The NTSB tweeted that it was "investigating today's crash of Pilatus PC-12 near Chamberlain, SD."
South Dakota is located in the Northern Plains, a region facing blizzard conditions as a storm blows eastward across the United States.
A winter storm warning remains in effect in Brule County until midday Sunday, the National Weather Service said, potentially including blowing snow that "could significantly reduce visibility."
"The men and women of law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals should be commended in their heroic actions to rescue the victims in extreme weather conditions," the state's attorney office said.
bfm/rma
Disneyland, other California theme parks, stadiums could reopen April 1
American Air 737 MAX declared emergency after engine shutdown, lands safely
Trump attacks Republican strategist Rove, who fires back
Nine great apes in San Diego become first non-human primates vaccinated for Covid-19
US Capitol ups security after attack warning
Texas power grid operator fires chief executive
SpaceX rocket explodes on ground after successful flight
US House passes police reforms, voting rights bill
SpaceX rocket explodes on ground after seemingly successful flight
There are no comments.