A business jet carrying eight people crashed during takeoff in Maine on Sunday night and officials would not disclose — more than 12 hours later — whether anyone survived the accident.
Bangor International Airport (BGR) was closed after the 7:45 p.m. Sunday incident and will remain shuttered until at least Wednesday, officials said.
When asked by reporters on Monday morning if there were any survivors, airport director Jose Saavedra said he wanted to defer to Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigators.
“We’re not ready to share additional information,” Saavedra said.
Saavedra also wouldn’t disclose if any crash victims were taken to the hospital: “I’m not ready to share additional information on that.”
Lights are seen in the distance Sunday night following the crash of a private Bombardier Challenger 600 jet at Bangor International Airport in Maine.@3315Aviation
The National Guard, local firefighters and first responders from “approximately 10 other municipalities responded to the scene” of the twin-jet Bombardier Challenger 600 going down, according to Saavedra.
The temperature was about 2 degrees, with a windchill of minus 13 and light snow around the time of the crash on Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds were out of the northeast at about 10 mph, data from the service showed.
Follow more coverage of winter weather here.
Bangor was under a winter storm warning Sunday.
“Certainly, the weather is challenging,” Bangor Police Sgt. Jeremy Brock told NBC affiliate WCSH of Portland, Maine
Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta and United Airlines all fly out of BGR, which is about 300 miles east of Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and nearly 240 miles north of Boston Logan Airport.
Dennis Romero
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
David K. Li
Senior Breaking News Reporter
Joe Kottke, Anna Sundberg, Jay Blackman and Jay Ganglani contributed.
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