PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city officials spoke Sunday around noon with updates on the investigation into the medical transport jet that crashed in the city’s Northeast on Friday, killing at least seven people and injuring 22 more.
Six Mexican nationals aboard the plane, including a pediatric patient and her mother, were killed. Valentina Guzman Murillo, 11, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, were identified by the government of Ensenada, a city in Baja California where the family is from. Crew identified by Jet Air Ambulance identified the medical staff and crew as Dr. Raul Meza, paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales and co-pilot Josue Juarez.
At least one person on the ground was killed in the crash. Parker said Sunday the number of injured has grown to 22. Five of them are in the hospital, and three of those patients are in critical condition. Parker said the city is withholding their identities out of respect for their families.
Parker said the city will set up a town hall meeting for the Northeast Philadelphia community on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. They have not yet announced a location.
It is not clear what caused the plane to crash so suddenly after takeoff. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. They are classifying it as an accident.