Terrified diners at the Four Seasons Diner in Philadelphia were caught in the chaos of a deadly plane crash when debris from a Learjet 55 smashed through the windows, injuring customers inside.
A video circulating online shows the moment patrons on Cottman Avenue ducked for cover as metal fragments from the aircraft flew into the restaurant, striking an elderly man. One customer, seated in a booth, was hit in the head by a piece of metal and taken to the hospital by ambulance.
“We’re all pretty shaken, but everyone is OK,” diner manager Ayhan Tiryaki told the *New York Post*. “The customer was hit in the head, and we don’t know exactly how he is, but we hope he’ll be OK.”
Also read | US Army finally reveals name of pilot flying Black Hawk chopper that crashed into jet
Philadelphia crash
Top US officials confirmed that a military helicopter was on a routine training mission when it collided with a civilian passenger jet over the Potomac River on Wednesday night.
The UH-60 Black Hawk belonged to the 12th Aviation Battalion, a unit with a critical mission—rapidly evacuating top U.S. officials to secure locations, such as one in Pennsylvania, in case of a national emergency or attack on the government.
The American Airlines jet was attempting to land when it struck the Army Black Hawk, resulting in the tragic deaths of all 60 passengers and four crew members on board.
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Rescue operations in the icy river managed to identify the 55 victims on Sunday. Rescuers voiced confidence that those remaining would be retrieved.
Dozens of people walked along the banks as more people arrived in buses with a police escort to pay homage to the deceased around the crash site.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he wanted federal aviation investigators to have space to investigate the crash. He also posed various questions.
“What was happening inside the towers? Were they understaffed? … The position of the Black Hawk, the elevation of the Black Hawk, were the pilots of the Black Hawk wearing night vision goggles?” Duffy asked on CNN.
(With agency inputs)
