A Tuesday afternoon plane crash has left at least one dead after two planes collided mid-air. Authorities are currently on the scene urgently searching for survivors.
The incident happened around 2:04 PM when the two small passenger planes crashed into each other over Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida, which is near the Winter Haven Regional Airport, reports The Sun. After the collision, both planes immediately fell into the water.
As of 6:00 PM, officials had confirmed one fatality. But a hunt still continues for more victims or survivors.
Officials Can Not Confirm Where the Planes Were Headed or How Many Passengers Were Aboard
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester spoke at a press conference shortly after the incident and further detailed the situation.
As he explained, one of the planes is partially submerged, and the second is completely underwater. The fully submerged craft is on the bottom of the lake, 21 feet below the surface, and a dive team has been deployed.
“As soon as we got here, lifesaving efforts immediately started,” Lester shared. “We are right now in the middle of a search and rescue,” Lester shared. “When we can identify all the people and identify how many people were in the planes, [then we’ll go to search and recovery].”
Several agencies are on the scene, including the Winter Haven Police Department, Fish and Game, and the country fire department.
NTS and the FAA are Involved in an ‘Active Investigation’ After Two Planes Collide
Lester could not give the name of the confirmed victim because some details have not been verified, and the family has yet to be notified. However, he noted that the recovery was initially a rescue mission. Either EMS or a civilian attempted CPR, but the resuscitation efforts failed.
Aside from at least two pilots, officials do not know exactly how many passengers were aboard the planes. However, they have an unconfirmed total, and they are prepared to find more bodies as the search continues.
“We do believe that there are possibly other deceased,” Lester added. “We just don’t know yet and can’t confirm any of that.”
There is no information on how the planes collided or where they were flying to or from. But the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are actively involved in the investigation.
