A military aircraft of unspecified type crashed on Wednesday in California’s Imperial County, about 30 miles north of the Mexican border. The five people on board are presumed dead. Preliminary reports mentioned “nuclear material” on board. While the US Marine Corps has confirmed there was a crash, no details have been officially confirmed.
Local news stations KYMA and KECY reported on Wednesday afternoon that a military airplane crashed near the community of Glamis, citing the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office. The crash was located near State Route 78 and Coachella Canal Road. The area is northeast of the Calexico-Mexicali crossing, about 150 miles east of San Diego.
Local media on the scene showed a plume of smoke rising over the desert. The area was marked off “Danger: Military Training in Progress. Do Not Enter.”
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, in nearby Arizona, confirmed that there had been a crash, but said it would provide more information later.
San Diego reporter Malik Earnest tweeted that the aircraft was “loaded with nuclear material with at least 5 people aboard.” He later added that Imperial County officials are assuming that all five people aboard had died.
“Additional details about nuclear material aboard are not known. The military now has the scene,” added Earnest.