Washington, Jan 26 (.) A private jet carrying eight people crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed.
There are no confirmed reports on the extent of the injuries aboard, CNN reported.
The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet. Bangor International Airport said emergency crews responded to the crash around 7:45 pm ET. The airport has since been closed while authorities manage the scene.
The investigation into the incident has been launched by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The jet incident coincides with a severe winter storm sweeping across the US, which has already claimed at least three lives and left hundreds of thousands without power. Temperatures in Maine are well below freezing, and light snowfall is reducing visibility in the region.
Schools and roads have been closed, and widespread flight cancellations have been reported, with life-threatening conditions extending from Texas to New England, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
“Airlines have canceled all flights at the airport today. The airport snow team is actively clearing snow from the airfield. Weather conditions are expected to remain treacherous for much of the day,” the airport said in a statement.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a post on X that at least five people in the city had died on Saturday but added their cause of death was yet to be determined.
He said, however, “It is a reminder that every year New Yorkers succumb to the cold”.
President Trump had said that he has been briefed on the treacherous winter storm facing Americans this weekend, adding that his administration is coordinating with officials and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is “fully prepared to respond.”
“I have been briefed on the Record Cold Wave and Historic Winter Storm that will be hitting much of the United States this weekend. The Trump Administration is coordinating with State and Local Officials. FEMA is fully prepared to respond. Stay Safe and Stay Warm!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The entire Trump Administration is closely monitoring the anticipated weather and is undertaking a whole-of-government approach to respond as appropriate.
The storm caused widespread travel disruptions on Saturday, with over 4,000 flight cancellations and power outages affecting more than 160,000 customers, mainly in Louisiana and Texas. Federal disaster declarations were approved for multiple states as forecasts predicted snow, sleet, and freezing rain that could last into the following week. Authorities warned that the storm could cause severe infrastructure damage and dangerously low temperatures across large parts of the country.
More than 600,000 homes in the United States are without electricity amid a major snowstorm on Sunday, data from the PowerOutage website said.
As of 13:30 GMT, the total number of customers facing outages reached 678,585, with the hardest-hit states being Tennessee (221,624), Texas (128,188), Mississippi (119,490), and Louisiana (108,525).
According to the National Weather Service, heavy snowfall and dangerous ice are expected across the region from east Texas to North Carolina. At least 21 states have declared a state of emergency.
At least seven people have died in the United States in recent days amid freezing temperatures, CNN reported.
CNN compiled weather-related death statements from several states. Kirk Watson, the mayor of Austin, Texas, reported the death of a person as a result of a storm.
Two people have died from hypothermia in Louisiana as a result of a storm this weekend, the channel reported, citing data from the state’s health department.
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