Six Mexican citizens were killed Friday when the air ambulance in which they were traveling crashed onto a busy street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mexican authorities said.
One person in a car was also killed while more than 20 others on the ground were injured when the Tijuana-bound medevac plane crashed in the Castor Gardens neighborhood shortly after departing from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
The plane exploded in a “massive fireball” when it hit the ground, Reuters reported.
The Mexican victims included a girl who had received medical care at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and her mother. The Ensenada municipal government identified them as Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna.
The girl recently completed treatment at the Shriners Hospital “for a condition not easily treated in Mexico,” the Associated Press reported.
The four other Mexicans killed in the crash were the pilot of the Learjet 55 and the air ambulance crew members.
The cause of the accident has not been established.
The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Sunday that investigators had recovered the cockpit voice recorder of the Learjet 55 and the plane’s two engines.
“NTSB investigators have obtained surveillance videos of the crash and numerous witness statements. … A preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident. … A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months,” the safety board said.
President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged the death of the six Mexicans in a social media post on Saturday morning.
Lamento el fallecimiento de seis mexicanos en el accidente aéreo en Filadelfia, Estados Unidos. Las autoridades consulares están en contacto permanente con los familiares; he pedido a la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores que apoye en todo lo que se requiera. Mi solidaridad con…
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) February 1, 2025
“I regret the death of the six Mexicans in the air accident in Philadelphia, United States. Consular authorities are in permanent contact with the families,” she wrote.
“I’ve asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry to provide support in all that is required. My solidarity with the loved ones and friends [of the deceased],” Sheinbaum said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Sunday that five of the people injured on the ground remained in the hospital and three were in critical condition. She said that a total of 22 people were injured, while at least 11 homes and some businesses sustained significant damage in the fiery crash.
