Military cargo plane crashes in Georgia, killing at least 5
A military cargo plane on a training mission crashed Wednesday along a road near a Georgia airport, killing at least five National Guard members from Puerto Rico, authorities said.
Black smoke rose into the sky from a section of the plane that appeared to have crashed into a median on the road. Firefighters later put out the blaze.
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, which crashed Wednesday around 11:30 a.m.
The wreckage was on the roadway at an intersection, Effingham County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Gena Bilbo said.
The Chatham Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday afternoon that the plane crash occurred at the intersection of Highway 21 and Crossgate Road.
"It was horrible," said Denver Goodwin, who works at a wrecker service down the street from the crash. "The ground shook like a bomb was going off. All the people in the building started panicking. It was absolutely horrible."
Emergency crews are responding to the military plane crash, said Candace Carpenter, spokeswoman for the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
The crash did not occur at the airport, she said.
A photo tweeted by the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association's account shows the tail end of a plane, a field of flames and black smoke with an ambulance nearby.
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport officials said on social media that some flights were affected, although the crash happened off the airport's property. Officials advised passengers to check with their airline for updated flight information.
The plane was on a routine mission to Arizona, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard says authorities don't yet know what caused the military cargo plane to crash after taking off from the airport.
Senior Master Sgt. Roger Parsons told reporters that authorities are still working to make the crash site safe for investigators.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
CNN contributed to this report.
