National Guard C-130 crash leaves at least 5 dead in Ga.
PORT WENTWORTH, Ga. — An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed yesterday onto a busy highway after taking off from a Georgia airport, killing at least five National Guard members from Puerto Rico, authorities said.
Black smoke rose into the sky from a section of the plane that appeared to have crashed into a median on the road outside Savannah, Ga. Firefighters later put out the blaze.
Capt. Jeff Bezore, a spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Air Wing, said the crash killed at least five people.
He said he couldn’t say how many people in total were on the plane when it crashed around 11:30 a.m.
Senior Master Sgt. Roger Parsons of the Georgia Air National Guard told reporters the cause of the crash was unknown and authorities were still working to make the crash site safe for investigators.
The plane had just taken off from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport when it crashed, Parsons said.
The Air Force said the plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen told The Associated Press that all those aboard were Puerto Ricans who had recently left the U.S. territory for a mission on the U.S. mainland. He said initial information indicated there were five to nine people aboard the plane, which was heading to Arizona. He did not have details on the mission.
“We are saddened by the plane accident that occurred today in Georgia,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a tweet. “Our prayers are with the families of the Puerto Rican crew.”
The plane crashed onto state highway Georgia 21, about a mile from the airport, said Gena Bilbo, a spokeswoman for the Effingham County Sherriff’s Office.
“It miraculously did not hit any cars, any homes,” Bilbo said. “This is a very busy roadway.”