5 minutes ago: A plane crashed on a highway, the toll is...See more

 

Victim of mechanical problems, a small jet crashed on a highway in Texas, United States, on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. A tragedy that left one dead and five injured, who were extracted from the vehicle thanks to the help of motorists.

On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at around 6:18 p.m., a Cessna Citation Latitude business jet with six people on board took off from San José del Cabo, Mexico, to Austin, Texas. On the way, however, the craft had to divert to Laredo, due to mechanical problems that were quickly reported to air traffic controllers. But while the airport's control tower had lost contact with the pilot of the vehicle, he broke down before crashing on the Loop 20 highway in Laredo, hitting a moving vehicle as it descended, reports the American channel CNN.

Split in two, the vehicle quickly caught fire, while debris, scattered over several lanes, blocked traffic on the motorway in both directions. As seen in a video of the tragedy, a sledgehammer and a shovel were used to break the cockpit porthole. Firefighters managed to board the plane using a ladder to evacuate the last passengers, one of whom was apparently unconscious.

One dead among the six passengers on the plane, a motorist taken to hospital

Of the six people who were on board the plane, three teenagers, the pilot and a crew member were able to be extracted from the rubble thanks to the intervention of motorists and firefighters. Unfortunately, a sixth person could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene, while the others were taken to hospital. "Our immediate concern is the well-being of our crew members, passengers and their families during this time," NetJets, which owns the plane, told CNN. The person who was travelling in the vehicle who was hit by the plane during its fall was taken to hospital in a "stable" condition, said Laredo police spokesman José Baeza. While the nature of the injuries has not been revealed, CNN says five officers were also transported to a local hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during the rescue.