- Twin-engine plane crashed on Sunday at Bartow Municipal Airport in Florida
- Plane was engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived at the scene
- The private plane was heading east into heavy fog when it took off
Four people have died after their twin-engine plane crashed at the end of a runway at a small airport in Florida and burst into flames after trying to take-off in heavy fog on Christmas Eve.
The plane already was engulfed in flames by the time fire rescue crews arrived at the scene at Bartow Municipal Airport on Sunday morning.
‘There are a total of four confirmed fatalities,’ Polk County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Tina Mann said.
Four people died on Sunday after their twin-engine plane crashed at the end of a runway at a small airport in Florida
The private plane was heading east into heavy fog when it took off, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
The cause wasn’t immediately clear, but the sheriff’s office said it was ‘likely related to the fog.’
The names of the victims were not released, pending notification of next of kin.
‘This is a horrific tragedy, especially on Christmas Eve, and the victims and their families are in our prayers,’ the sheriff’s office statement said.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the crash
Bartow is about 50 miles southwest of Orlando.