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Aug 19, 2022 3:18 PM - THE CANADIAN PRESS

Fatalities reported after 2 planes collide in California

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Multiple fatalities have been reported after two planes collided in Northern California while trying to land at a local airport.

The collision occurred at Watsonville Municipal Airport shortly before 3 p.m.,according to a tweet from the city of Watsonville.

There were two people aboard a twin-engine Cessna 340 and only the pilot aboard a single-engine Cessna 152 during the crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It was not immediately clear whether any of them survived.

The pilots were on their final approaches to the airport when the collision occurred, the FAA said in a statement. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

No one on the ground was injured.

Photos and videos from the scene posted on social media showed the wreckage of one small plane in a grassy field by the airport. A photo from the city of Watsonville showed damage to a small building at the airport, with firefighters on the scene.

Additional information was not immediately available.

Watsonville is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of San Francisco.

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