Two people were killed, and one person on the ground was injured, on Monday morning when a small plane crashed on a grassy highway median in Southeastern Massachusetts and caught fire, forcing the closure of Interstate 195 in both directions, the authorities said.
The crash was reported at around 8:15 a.m. in Dartmouth, Mass., about 30 miles southeast of Providence, R.I., the Massachusetts State Police said. The injured person was driven to a hospital in a car, they said.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
The State Police said that the fixed-wing airplane may have been attempting to land at New Bedford Regional Airport, though it did not appear that the pilot had provided that airport with a flight plan or with the number of people aboard the aircraft.
Photos and videos taken by passers-by in cars showed smoke rising from the wreckage and a white car in the median that appeared to have been struck on the passenger side, where it had sustained significant damage.
Officials closed the interstate in both directions near the crash site, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The agency did not immediately announce a schedule for reopening the highway.
Though a nor’easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the area overnight, there was only light rain and wind by the midmorning.
The cause and circumstances of the crash were not clear. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates transportation accidents, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Adeel Hassan, a New York-based reporter for The Times, covers breaking news and other topics.
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