12 people died in a plane crash in the US in Missouri Aviation News

A plane has crashed near Butler Memorial Airport near Kansas City, officials say.

At least 12 people have died in a plane crash in Missouri in the western part of the United States, according to authorities.

The crash Sunday was near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, south of Kansas City.

“Troopers are on scene assisting the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office of a Fatal Plane Crash near Butler Memorial Airport,” the Missouri State Highway Patrol posted on X.

“Currently reports indicate that all the occupants (12 in total) have been damaged,” it said.

Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing said the plane was carrying people to skydive.

Emergency responders received a call that the plane had gone down and was on fire around 11:30 a.m. local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday, he said.

They were able to put out the fire shortly after the crash, he said, describing the scene as “brutal.”

“It landed in a field near the airport, but I think they’re closing the road as a precaution,” Ewing said.

The names of those killed were not immediately released.

Ewing said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was on the scene investigating the crash.

The reason was not immediately available.