Add The New York Post on Google A horrific plane crash in the Bahamas killed all 10 passengers on board Friday, just hours after another aircraft shockingly burst into flames.
Disturbing video on social media showed the wreckage of the Cessna 402C Flamingo Air flight strewn across a wooded area in North Andros, located in waters just west of Nassau, where celebrations were underway for the country’s Independence Day.
The plane crashed just after 1 p.m., not long after departing Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau for San Andros, according to initial reports from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority.
The aircraft reportedly encountered midair difficulties before crashing, according to the AAIA.
One person on board survived the terrifying crash but later died from their injuries, Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles confirmed at a Friday press conference, adding that the full flight list will not be released until all families have been directly notified, local newspaper the Tribune reported.
“We owe that to families and the integrity of the investigation,” added Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis.
“We have mourned too many lives, we have comforted too many families and today we mourn once again,” added Davis, as he asked God to give the country strength in the days ahead.
The cause of the deadly crash remains under investigation.
The Bahamian government temporarily grounded all Flamingo Air flights in the wake of the tragedy, in what the country’s Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation said was just a precaution.
The suspension is a result of two separate safety incidents that occurred on Friday involving the airline, according to the ministry.
Earlier, a Flamingo Air flight burst into flames after being forced to return to Nassau following complaints from the pilot.
All of the passengers were safely evacuated when the plane ignited.
The Bahamas-based airline, which has a fleet of just nine planes and flies to 13 destinations, has been involved in another eight accidents since 2012, although none were fatal prior to Friday.
A Beech 99 plane’s boarding door opened midair while headed to Staniel Clay in October 2023.
And in August 2016, a Beech 99 crash landed at an airport in South Bimini after the wheel under the right wing collapsed — though miraculously all passengers walked away unscathed.
Flamingo Air confirmed it was cooperating with the relevant authorities as it extended condolences to the victims’ families.
“We can confirm that an aircraft owned by Flamingo Air experienced a fatal crash in the North Andros, Bahamas, area today,” the company said in a statement.
