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Officials: At least 2 die after planes collide in California

Planes collide in California

Two planes collided in Northern California while trying to land at a local airport Thursday and at least two of the three occupants were killed, officials said Thursday.

The collision occurred at Watsonville Municipal Airport shortly before 3 p.m., according to a tweet from the city of Watsonville.

There were two people aboard a twin-engine Cessna 340 and only the pilot aboard a single-engine Cessna 152 during the crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Officials say multiple fatalities were reported but it was not immediately clear whether anyone survived.

The pilots were on their final approaches to the airport when the collision occurred, the FAA said in a statement. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

No one on the ground was injured.

Photos and videos from the scene posted on social media showed the wreckage of one small plane in a grassy field by the airport. A photo from the city of Watsonville showed damage to a small building at the airport, with firefighters on the scene.

Additional information was not immediately available.

Watsonville, near the Monterey Bay, is about 160 kilometres south of San Francisco.



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