[Anchor]

A jet has crashed in the U.S. state of Florida, killing all nine people on board. Reports indicate that the aircraft plunged rapidly at a rate of 100 meters per second at the time of the accident.

Here is reporter Kim Hye-young with the details.

[Reporter]

Along a roadside in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.

Behind a moving vehicle, an object plummets almost vertically from the sky, exploding in a massive fireball.

The fallen aircraft was a small commercial jet carrying nine people.

All nine occupants were killed, and the crash site was devastated by the impact of the explosion.

Six hundred residents were urgently evacuated.

[Ron DeSantis / Governor of Florida, U.S.: It was nothing short of a catastrophic plane crash. It felt like a missile coming down, and a large crater was left beside the road.]

Local time on the 1st, the accident flight—which departed from Austin, Texas, and was heading to the Bahamas in the Caribbean—reportedly experienced severe icing and turbulence during the flight.

[Cockpit Official: It's minus 47 degrees Celsius (-53°F). We are dealing with the icing, but the turbulence is moderate.]

[Air Traffic Control Official: Understood. 722 Bravo Delta. (Omission) Let us know if you need anything else.]

Shortly after, the pilot declared an emergency, reporting a rapid descent after gaining altitude.

[Cockpit Official: Mayday! Mayday! Descending at 10,000 feet per minute (about 50 meters per second)! 722 Bravo Delta, declaring an emergency! The aircraft is exceeding its allowable speed, descending at 20,000 feet per minute (about 100 meters per second)!]

According to flight tracking websites, the plane briefly gained altitude before making a sharp right turn and crashing, with its descent rate at one point exceeding 35,000 feet per minute.

At the time, thunderstorms occurred in various parts of southern Florida, and the aircraft reportedly passed through a thunderstorm zone just minutes before the crash.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Video by Lee Seung-yeol | Graphics by Lim Chan-hyeok and Jeon Yu-geun