3 killed in California plane crash

Three people were killed after a small plane crashed Monday afternoon in the area of Big Bear City in southern California, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to an aircraft down in a vacant lot at around 2:02 p.m. local time (22:02 GMT), according to the Big Bear Fire Department.

Crews arrived on the scene in about three minutes, said the department in a Facebook post.

"Upon arrival, crews observed considerable damage to a single engine private plane, with no visible smoke or flames," said the department. "There were three souls on board, all of which perished as a result of this accident."

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Weather reports said it was partly cloudy at the time of the crash.

A photo released by the department showed the wreckage of the plane sitting in an open space behind the railings near a road.

It has been the second small plane crash in three days in southern California. A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed Saturday night in a mountainous area in Los Angeles.

xinhua