“Several” people were killed when two planes collided over an airport on California’s central coast, authorities said Thursday.
The number of deaths was not immediately clear, said Michelle Pulido, a spokeswoman for the city of Watsonville.
Pulido said the planes crashed at Watsonville Municipal Airport just before 3 p.m. as it tried to land.
The Federal Aviation Administration described the aircraft in a statement as a twin-engine Cessna 340 with two people on board and a single-engine Cessna 152 with one person on board. They were on their last approach when they collided, the agency said.
An image posted by the city showed what appeared to be the wreckage of one of the planes.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. According to the municipality, an investigation is underway.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the mid-air collision.
Watsonville said in a pronunciation Thursday night that “We are absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident in which several people have lost their lives,” and it expressed its condolences to the families and friends of the dead.
Watsonville is located about two hours south of San Francisco on Monterey Bay.
Phil Helsel contributed.