No survivors after plane crashes into house in Minnesota

A small plane flying from Iowa to Minnesota in the US crashed into a suburban home and caused it to catch on fire, officials said on Saturday.

The plane had taken off around 1220 local time (1720 BST) before crashing in a residential area of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Investigators said it was unclear how many people were onboard the plane, but Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway said there were no survivors among the passengers. No one inside the house was reported killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it itended to investigate the cause of the crash, which remained unknown.

The agency is enroute to the scene in Minnesota. It said it expected to be on the ground on Sunday.

“Once on site, the investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation,” the agency said in a statement.

Videos on social media show that the home the plane crashed into was engulfed by flames as members of the local fire department attempted to put it out.

Chief Conway said that it had developed into a “fully involved structure fire” by the time the fire department arrived at the scene.

Brooklyn Park, where the plane crashed, is a suburb of Minnesota’s capital, Minneapolis. The city of 82,000 people lies about 11 miles to the north.

Minnesota Gov Tim Waltz said that his team was “in touch with local officials on the scene in Brooklyn Park and we are monitoring the situation closely”.

“Grateful to the first responders answering the call,” he added.

This incident follows a number of recent plane crashes and near misses that have caught the attention of the US public after President Donald Trump had encouraged his cabinet to make cuts to federal agencies.

Hundreds of employees responsible for aiding air safety were fired, according to the Associated Press.