A private jet belonging to Warren Buffett crashed and caught fire on a busy Texas highway, resulting in one fatality and prompting drivers to break the aircraft’s windows in an attempt to rescue passengers.
The incident occurred when the plane, carrying six passengers, collided with moving vehicles on Loop 20 highway in Laredo around 10 pm local time on Tuesday, as confirmed by the authorities.
Witnessed images depicted the small aircraft overturned, engulfed in flames at the rear, and emitting a dense smoke column after hitting a barrier on the highway, causing the tail to detach from the fuselage.
Two bystanders rushed to the crash site equipped with a sledgehammer and shovel, which they utilized to shatter the cockpit glass in an effort to access the plane’s door.
The fatality’s location, whether on board the plane or on the ground, remained uncertain. No ground injuries were immediately reported, although five officers were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.
FlightAware data revealed that the plane, a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, took off from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 pm local time. The crash’s cause remains undetermined.
Zayra Garza, an aesthetician transporting colleagues, witnessed a person inside the plane attempting to break the cockpit window for escape. Shortly after, motorists abandoned their vehicles to assist in breaking the window from the exterior.
Garza’s husband promptly exited their vehicle to aid before the plane’s door opened. Three individuals who appeared to be adolescents exited first, followed by an individual resembling a pilot. Another crew member tried to extract an apparently unconscious person.
Describing the scene as reminiscent of a movie, Garza expressed shock, particularly regarding the fire hazard and the possibility of an explosion.
NetJets, the company to which the aircraft belonged, acknowledged the crash and stated cooperation with authorities. The firm, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, provides fractional ownership in private jets.
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