Business jet crashes on Texas highway, killing one, sparking fireball VIDEO

A business jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, late on June 16, erupting into flames and triggering chaotic rescue attempts by motorists who rushed to pull survivors from the wreckage, authorities said.

The aircraft went down on Loop 20 near the U.S.–Mexico border shortly after 10 p.m. local time. Officials said one person was killed, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Eyewitnesses described dramatic scenes as drivers abandoned their vehicles and ran toward the burning wreckage, which was “nearly sheared in half” and resting on its side. Some attempted to break into the cockpit using tools.

Two individuals reportedly arrived with a sledgehammer and shovel, using them to strike the cockpit window and try to force open a door in an effort to free those trapped inside.

Dashcam footage circulating on social media showed the aircraft descending along the highway, striking a light pole before coming to rest near Laredo International Airport. The tail section was torn off and landed on a lower roadway beneath the crash site.

No injuries on the ground were immediately reported, although five police officers were hospitalised for smoke inhalation after responding to the scene.

The aircraft was identified as a Cessna Citation Latitude twin-engine business jet, according to data from flight tracking service FlighAware. It had departed earlier from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

By Sabina Mammadli