Washington, Oct 31 (IANS/EFE): At least four people died when a small plane crashed into a building near the Wichita, Kansas, airport in the US, media reported.

The preliminary death toll was confirmed by the Wichita Fire Department, although originally just two fatalities had been reported.

The fire department also said that five people were injured -- one seriously -- in the accident and four are missing.

The plane crashed into a two-storey building Thursday and live television images broadcast by local TV stations showed that the roof on one side of the structure had collapsed and a thick column of smoke was emanating from the site.

Authorities said that the twin-engine plane crashed shortly after 10 a.m., losing power in one engine just after taking off from Mid-Continent airport in Wichita.

The fire at the crash site was "horrific", said Wichita fire chief Ronald Blackwell, whose team is trying to determine the exact number of people who were inside the building.

He said that a large number of people appear to have made it out of the building unharmed. It was unclear how many people were on board the plane.

Four people are missing in the wake of the crash, although originally 10 people were reported to be unaccounted for.