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Seven people dead after plane crashes into Northeast Philly neighborhood

Investigators continue combing through the wreckage of the small jet crash that rocked Northeast Philadelphia Friday night, leaving a gaping hole in the ground โ€” and through the heart of residents still reeling from the tragedy.

  • All six passengers onboard and one motorist on the ground died in the incident, according to city officials.

The big picture: The plane crash followed the country's deadliest aviation disaster in more than 20 years, when an American Airlines passenger jet carrying 64 people collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on Wednesday night outside of D.C.

The latest: The number of people injured in the Philly crash has risen to 24 people, including four who remain hospitalized โ€” two of them in critical condition, Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday afternoon. City officials declined to confirm the names of the victims.

  • At least 11 homes were damaged, but the city isn't sure how many people have been displaced, the city's Managing Director Adam Thiel said Sunday.
  • City officials will hold a town hall meeting at 7pm on Wednesday to answer residents' questions and share resources. The location: Solomon Solis-Cohen School (7001 Horrocks St).

Investigators found the black box Sunday, the NTSB said.

  • The crew didn't send any distress messages from the cockpit and didn't respond to a transmission from air traffic control, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday evening.
  • According to city officials, "Flight logs show the plane was in the air for only a minute before it crashed."

State of play: PECO has restored services to the neighborhood, except for some buildings that were impacted by the crash, officials said Sunday morning.

  • Roosevelt Boulevard is expected to open by rush hour on Monday morning, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
  • It's unclear when Cottman Avenue and adjacent streets will reopen, or when Roosevelt Mall and the businesses in the affected area will open.
  • The school district is holding classes Monday morning.

The debris field could span several miles, officials said previously, and residents are being asked to avoid the area.

  • The city has a shelter open at Samuel Fels High School (5500 Langdon Street) in partnership with the Red Cross. And deputy managing director of health and human services Crystal Yates-Gale said the city is offering counseling for residents.

Investigators could be seen working on Cottman Avenue Sunday. An excavator hoisted up burned-out cars onto a tow truck.

  • The area is normally a bustling, noisy hub of activity, but the mall and businesses along the crash site remained closed.

Catch up quick

The Learjet 55 crashed around 6:10pm Friday night. The six people aboard were Mexican nationals, according to a post on X from Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  • The medical jet, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The jet was carrying a pediatric patient who had been treated at Shriners Children's Hospital in Philly, and who was returning home to Mexico with her mother, escorted by four crew members.
  • "I know that the team there [at Shriners] in Philadelphia had a sendoff for her [Friday]," Mel Bower, a spokesperson for the hospital, told NBC10.ย "It's always a meaningful but yet emotional time for us. It's really just been compounded by the tragic ending."

What they're saying: "We heard an explosion and then saw the aftermath of flames and smoke," one eyewitness told 6ABC after the crash. "Common sense told me that I not get close to it and very quickly, just a cavalry of police and first responders. God bless them for going into harm's way."

  • The tragedy drew out "the best of Philly," Gov. Josh Shapiro said Friday night. "We saw neighbor helping neighbor."

Zoom out: Parker said the city is partnering with three organizations to help people impacted by the crash, and that residents will soon be able to donate.

Go deeper: Philadelphia plane crash: What went wrong

Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements and additional details throughout.

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