Five people have died after a charter plane crash-landed into a shopping centre in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
The Beechcraft B200 King Air took off from Essendon Airport just before 9.00am local time (10pm Monday GMT). On board were an Australian, named as "seasoned pilot" Max Quartermain, and four US tourists on their way to play golf at King Island, who have not been formally identified.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dashcam footage shows a mushroom cloud of black smoke rising from the shopping outlet.
Around 20 employees were at the shopping centre, which had not opened when the crash occurred. None were harmed, although some witnesses received treatment for shock.
Assistant police commissioner Stephen Leane said: "Looking at the fireball, it is incredibly lucky that no one was at the back of those stores or in the car park of the stores, that no one was even hurt."
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation into the incident, which is the "worst civil aviation accident in Victoria in 30 years", The Australian reports.
Aviation lecturer Dr Douglas Drury told Australian Associated Press that the King Air was a "trusted aircraft", but that engine failure at take-off is "one of the most critical moments during a very difficult phase of flight".
He added: "To lose an engine with a catastrophic failure right after take-off is a difficult moment for any pilot."
-
A foodie guide to EdinburghThe Week Recommends Go all-out with a Michelin-starred meal or grab a casual bite in the Scottish capital
-
Political cartoons for December 24Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include Christmas in Greenland, grinchflation, and California floods
-
Is there a Christmas truce in the Starmer farmer ding-dong?Today’s Big Question There’s an ‘early present’ for farmers but tensions between Labour and rural communities remain
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
