Daijiworld Media Network - San Francisco
San Francisco, Jan 26: A private business jet carrying eight people crashed while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport in the US state of Maine, authorities confirmed, adding that no casualties have been reported so far.
According to a statement from the airport, emergency teams rushed to the scene around 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time (0045 GMT Monday). Flight operations at the airport were temporarily suspended following the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.
Local media, citing sources familiar with the situation, said the full extent of injuries remains unclear. The aircraft involved was identified as a Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet. Officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
The accident occurred as a powerful snowstorm swept through the northeastern United States. At the time, Maine was experiencing sub-freezing temperatures, light snowfall and extremely poor visibility, conditions that may have complicated takeoff procedures.
The crash came amid a massive winter storm affecting large parts of the country, knocking out power to more than one million people, disrupting tens of thousands of flights and reportedly causing multiple fatalities as severe cold and heavy snow stretched from the South to the Northeast.
Authorities across dozens of states reported widespread power outages after freezing rain and snow toppled trees and power lines, particularly in the South and Mid-Atlantic regions. Data from PowerOutage.com showed that at peak levels, over one million customers were without electricity, with Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia among the worst affected.
Conditions in Tennessee have been especially severe, with more than 300,000 customers left without power as ice damaged trees and utility infrastructure. Nashville Electric Service warned that outages could last several days or longer, citing hazardous conditions faced by repair crews.
Air travel across the US continues to be severely disrupted. Since Friday, more than 30,000 flights have been affected, including over 18,000 cancellations. Several major airports have been forced to halt or drastically limit operations, with airlines cancelling nearly all flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, while LaGuardia and other major hubs remain partially or fully shut down.