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9 Believed Dead After Plane Crashes Into Building in Ohio

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

A plane crashed into an apartment building in Akron, Ohio on Tuesday afternoon, killing all on board, according to the Associated Press.

“At approximately 3:00 pm today, a Hawker H25 business jet was on approach to Akron Fulton Airport when it crashed into a building,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “We are gathering additional information and will pass it along when it is available.”

The owner of the plane, Augusto Lewkowicz, confirmed 9 people were onboard, including the pilot and co-pilot, the Akron Beacon Journal reports, but said he would not release the names of the passengers before notifying their family members.

The aircraft crashed into a structure on Mogadore Road, according to ABC’s Cleveland affiliate WEWS-TV, roughly one mile from the airport. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker, the 10-seat jet hit a utility wire while making a landing and crashed into the buulding.

The jet, which took off from Dayton, had planned to land at Akron Fulton International Airport, about 2 miles from where it crashed. It clipped a utility wire on the way down and burst into flames and disintegrated after impact, Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker told the AP.

The plane then hit an embankment beyond the apartment building, causing a nearby house to also burn, he said. There were no known injuries on the ground.

Lisa Osborn, a bartender at the nearby Forest Park Tavern, told TIME the crash was “one loud explosion followed by another explosion.”

“We felt some tremors from it,” said Osborn. “Lots of fire, lots of smoke, but everybody got here very quickly.”

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