One person confirmed dead after two small planes crash in mid-air over lake
At least one person has died after two small planes collided above a lake on Tuesday.
Emergency services are searching Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida. The incident occurred near Winter Haven Regional Airport.
The water is being searched and crews are also scanning the area from the sky, authorities said. The lake has a surface area of 433 acres.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the planes crashed into the water at about 2 pm local time (7 pm GMT).
A few hours later, Polk County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the body of one person has been recovered.
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The type of aircraft or the number of people on board has not been confirmed yet.
Footage shows a yellow aircraft floating on the lake with most of its part submerged (Fox 35)“At this time, the water is being searched, and there is also an air search being conducted,” said Winter Haven Police Department.
Emergency responders with Polk County Sheriff's Office, Polk County Fire Rescue, Winter Haven Police Department and Winter Haven Fire Rescue have all responded to the incident, a spokesperson added.
It has not been confirmed how the planes collided or where they were travelling to or from.
Steve Lester, Polk County Sheriff Chief of Staff, told the press that one person has been confirmed dead.
He noted the scene is now a "search and rescue" and that one plane was completely submerged 21 feet underwater, and the other plane was partially submerged.
Police are also interviewing witnesses to understand more about the circumstances under which the crash happened.
Crews are searching the area for survivors (Fox 35)Footage released from the scene shows a yellow aircraft floating on the lake, with most part of it submerged, according to 10 Tampa Bay.
WFLA News earlier reported that at least one person has been confirmed dead after the incident.
When asked if there were any injuries or fatalities, Polk County Chief Steve Lester said, “one deceased and that’s all we know right now.”
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Lester added, “It was an in-air collision and both planes immediately went into the water.”
The incident happened not far from Winter Haven Regional Airport (Fox 35)
Two planes have crashed over Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven (Fox 35)Reporter Angelina Salcedo wrote on Twitter that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation.
"Right now search and rescue efforts are underway for two aircraft that collided and crashed into #LakeHartridge in #WinterHaven. Time around 2PM - still unclear how many people were on board either plane @10TampaBay"
The search and rescue operation is ongoing.
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