SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A private business jet carrying eight people crashed during takeoff at Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday night amid a major snowstorm, with no fatalities reported.
Bangor International Airport said emergency crews responded to the incident at around 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time, and the airport was temporarily closed following the crash. Local media, citing a source briefed on the incident, reported that the extent of injuries was not immediately clear.
The aircraft was identified as a Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet. Authorities said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The incident occurred as a powerful winter storm moved through the northeastern U.S., bringing below-freezing temperatures, light snowfall, and severely reduced visibility in parts of Maine at the time of the crash.
The storm has caused widespread disruption across the country, knocking out power to more than one million customers, disrupting tens of thousands of flights, and contributing to several deaths as dangerous cold and heavy snow swept from the South to the Northeast, according to officials.
Authorities in dozens of states reported extensive power outages as freezing rain and snow downed trees and power lines, particularly across the South and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Data showed more than one million customers without electricity at peak levels, with Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia among the hardest hit.
Conditions in Tennessee were described as especially severe, with more than 300,000 customers without power as ice damaged trees and utility poles. Nashville Electric Service warned that outages could last for days or longer, citing hazardous conditions for repair crews working to restore service.
Air travel nationwide has also been heavily affected. More than 30,000 flights have been disrupted since Friday, including over 18,000 cancellations. Several major airports have halted or severely restricted operations, with nearly all flights canceled at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and continued disruptions reported at LaGuardia and other major hubs. (Source: IANS)
