Nine Dead

Nine people died Sunday afternoon when a business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

In a little over a minute, the Learjet 60 dropped from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet. That's a descent of roughly 350 feet per second, ABC News reported, citing the Federal Aviation Administration.

Around 12:50 p.m. ET, the jet came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in the Greenacres community, according to BBC News and USA Today. It hit nose first and burst into a fireball, leaving a crater near a shopping center, ABC News reported, citing photos and video posted online.

The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the FAA said. Twenty-two years old, the twin-engine jet belonged to a private company and had been used as a rental in the past, according to ABC News, which cited aircraft records.

Nine miles. That's roughly how close the crash site sits to Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Palm Beach, BBC News reported. What led up to the crash was not known.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office closed Military Trail and told drivers to seek alternate routes. Fire Rescue declared a mass casualty incident, BBC News reported. Rain, lightning and winds gusting near 25 mph moved through West Palm Beach that afternoon under overcast skies, USA Today reported, citing the National Weather Service.

No deaths or injuries among people on the ground had been confirmed as of Sunday afternoon, ABC News and USA Today reported.

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will lead the inquiry and provide updates, USA Today reported, and the FAA said it was sending a team to the scene to support that work.

"Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy said in a statement posted to social media, according to NBC Miami.