This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
On Saturday, a devastating small plane crash occurred in Lafayette, La., claiming the lives of at least five people, the city's Fire Department confirmed.
According to Alton Trahan, a spokesman for the Lafayette Fire Department, two people were taken to hospitals, one from the plane and one from the ground, following the crash.
Fire Chief Robert P. Benoit stated that investigators were at the scene, working to determine the number of people on board the plane when it crashed into a lot next to the post office.
A woman was rushed to Lafayette General Medical Center and listed in critical condition, said Patricia Thompson, a spokeswoman for Lafayette General Health System. However, it remains unclear whether she was a passenger or a bystander, as the crash site was near a post office and other businesses.
Witnesses described the scene, with flames and pieces of metal scattered in a field and parking lot adjacent to United States Postal Service trucks.
Lois Comeaux, who was at a nearby Walmart, reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing pieces of the plane in a vacant lot behind the post office, with some of the post office's windows blown out by the force of the crash.
Emergency responders swarmed the area, extinguishing small fires, Comeaux said.
Rebecca Simon, who lives less than a mile from the crash site, described hearing a plane fly low over her house before a loud noise shook her garage door and the electricity flickered.
Her roommate called the electric company to investigate, but they soon heard sirens and saw smoke outside.
Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.
