A private jet carrying eight people has crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in the US state of Maine, aviation authorities have said.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 went down at around 19:45 local time (00:45 GMT on Monday), the Federal Aviation Administration stated, but the fate and identities of those on board were not immediately clear.
The incident occurred amid a dangerous winter storm sweeping across a large swath of the US, which has already claimed several lives and left hundreds of thousands without power. Reports suggest that pilots were contending with visibility issues at the airport prior to the crash.
Bangor remains under a winter storm warning until Tuesday, with heavy snowfall anticipated.
Following the incident, Bangor International Airport announced its closure, while emergency crews responded to the crash and urged the public to avoid the area.
Audio captured from air traffic control by CBS News indicated discussions between controllers and pilots regarding poor visibility moments before the crash, with a controller noting there was a passenger aircraft upside down shortly after the accident.
Images from the scene depicted smoke and flames rising from the runway.
The incident exacerbated ongoing travel disruption caused by the winter storm, with over 11,000 flights canceled and nearly 5,500 delayed across the US on Sunday, according to FlightAware. Major airports in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey were significantly impacted.
Forecasts warn that Maine could see between 10 and 16 inches (25-40cm) of snow accumulate by Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
