A tragedy following an explosion at an Ohio metal plant has ended with the deaths of five employees of an Arkansas environmental center.
Five employees of The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health were killed in a plane crash after departure from the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Wednesday.
The environmental workers were traveling to respond to the blast at the I Schumann & Co. paint and metal plant in Bedford, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Officials in Little Rock, Arkansas, are investigating the cause of a deadly plane crash after a twin-engine plane slammed into the ground on Wednesday killing all five people on board. pic.twitter.com/dmwQbwQSOi
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 23, 2023
Their twin-engine turboprop plane crashed a mile away from the airport, near a 3M industrial plant, according to The Washington Post.
First responders indicated that there were no survivors in the crash.
Here’s what we know so far on the plane crash: A statement from the FAA confirmed the twin-engine Beech BE20 had five people on board and was heading to Columbus, Ohio. It crashed around noon after leaving Clinton National in Little Rock. PCSO says there are no survivors. #ARnews
— Caitrin Assaf (@caitrinassaf) February 22, 2023
The victims have not been publicly identified.
The plane that crashed near Clinton National Airport today carried five employees from The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), the company confirms to @KATVNews. All five perished in the crash. They were en route to Columbus, Ohio.
— Chris May (@KATVChrisMay) February 22, 2023
All five on board the plane, including the pilot, were CTEH employees, according to the Post. An executive of the CTEH mourned the loss of his colleagues in a statement.
“We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues,” senior vice president Dr. Paul Nony said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
“We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.”
Strong wind gusts were recorded at the airport around the time of the crash.
The plane crash at the Little Rock airport occurred with a line of showers that were moving quickly east with strong winds out of the west northwest. At the time of the crash (12:02 PM), Adams Field recorded a wind gust of 46 MPH.
NTSB investigators will determine cause. #arwx pic.twitter.com/SYO2rMs4lu
— James Bryant (@KATVJames) February 22, 2023
One worker was killed in the Bedford plant explosion, and 12 other people were hospitalized, according to The New York Times.
Dark smoke billowed in the sky following the blast, in a disaster likely to have environmental implications.
The National Transportation Safety Board will begin an investigation into the plane crash, according to KARK-TV in Little Rock.
A preliminary report is expected in 15 days, the station reported.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.