Video: Chartered plane crashes at under construction site in Ghatkopar, 5 dead

A small chartered plane crashed near an under construction site in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Thursday afternoon.

According to preliminary information, the plane was carrying four passengers and belonged to the Uttar Pradesh government. It reportedly belonged to UY Aviation and was in service since August 1995.

The plane, believed to be a VT-UPZ, KING AIR C90 model, crashed in an open area near Jagruti Building at Sarvodaya Nagar in Ghatkopar West around 1 pm today, following which concerned authorities were alerted about the mishap.

Teams from Mumbai Fire Brigade, local police, and disaster management are currently on the spot. At least five fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the flames.

At least one person died in the mishap, even as more details about the incident continue to pour in.

The incident comes a day after a Sukhoi jet awaiting induction in the air force crashed in Nashik during a test flight. Both pilots ejected safely before the plane crashed near a farm.

Further details about the incident are awaited and will be updated shortly.

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Updates:

(2:30 pm)

# The 12-seater plane crashed at 1:35 pm at Old Maniklal Estate on Jeevdaya lane, near telephone exchange, Prithvi building in Ghatkopar.

# The death toll has risen to five, which include all four plane occupants and one pedestrian.

# The plane’s occupants included two pilots and two Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. The pilots did their best to crash land in an area that would lead to least casualties.

# Only two of the five bodies have been recovered till now.

# The plane had been sold by UP government to Mumbai-based Dipak Kothari’s UY Aviation in 2014 after it had met with an accident in Allahabad.

# It had taken off from Juhu for a test flight earlier today.

# Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team is on its way for a preliminary investigation. AAIB will do a detailed one later.

# The blaze from the crash is under control. A National Disaster Relief Force team has been mobilised and expected to reach the site shortly.

(3:50 pm)

# Deceased identified as Captain P S Rajput, Captain Maria, Surbhi and Manish Pandey. Pedestrian yet to be identified.

# Two people, identified as Luvkush Kumar and Nehra Kumar Nishad, also sustained injuries.

# Firemen continue to sift through the debris to look for more bodies as a large crowd looks on.

# Rescue agencies have managed to recover the black-box of the chartered plane.

# Pilot saved many lives at the cost of her own, by swerving to avoid crashing in a busy area, tweeted former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

# Visuals of the plane before it took off from Juhu airport today.