A plane holding five passengers has crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet shopping centre in Melbourne this morning.
A press conference held by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed that it looks like none of the five people on the plane survived the crash.
There appears to be no fatalities other than those on the plane.
The crash reportedly occurred around 9am near Essendon Airport and it’s understood it was a charter plane heading to King Island.
Witnesses said there were huge explosions and footage caught billowing black smoke.
“There is constant explosions going off, there is black smoke billowing into the sky,” one caller told 3AW. The smoke has since been confirmed to be aviation fuel burning.
It’s understood the plane hit the DFO building and went through it to stop in the carpark.
Police Minister Lisa Neville gave a statement on the crash:
“It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO [shopping centre] at Essendon Fields.
“There’s also debris that’s been left on the [Tullamarine] freeway.”
ABC News reports there are thirteen fire trucks battling to control the fire at the shopping centre.
Essendon airport remains closed, with inbound lanes on the Tullamarine freeway also remaining shut in order to collect evidence.
Police are currently informing relatives and will release details of those killed in the crash at a later time.
We will keep you updated as we learn more.
