Small plane crashes on Massachusetts highway, US, killing 2

Two people were killed, and one person on the ground was injured, on Monday morning when a small plane crashed and caught fire on a grassy interstate highway median in Southeastern Massachusetts, United States, the authorities said, Report informs via The New York Times.

The crash was reported at around 8:15 a.m. (GMT-4) on Interstate 195 in Dartmouth, Mass., about 30 miles southeast of Providence, R.I., forcing the closure of the highway in both directions, the Massachusetts State Police said.

The injured person was driven to a hospital in a car, they said. The identities of the victims have not been released.

The State Police said that the fixed-wing airplane may have been attempting to land at New Bedford Regional Airport, though it did not appear that the pilot had provided that airport with a flight plan or with the number of people aboard the aircraft.

Photos and videos taken by passers-by in cars showed smoke rising from the wreckage and a white car in the median that appeared to have been struck on the passenger side, where it had sustained significant damage.

Officials closed the interstate in both directions near the crash site, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The agency did not immediately announce a schedule for reopening the highway.

Though a nor"easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the area overnight, there was only light rain and wind by the midmorning.

The cause and circumstances of the crash were not clear.