A small plane came down on a highway in Laredo, Texas Tuesday night and burst into flames, triggering a frantic rescue effort as drivers abandoned their cars and trucks to help free those trapped inside the burning aircraft.
The crash happened shortly after 10 p.m., according to Jose Baeza, an investigator with the Laredo Police Department. The roadway where the plane went down, Loop 20, was shut down in both directions following the incident. Baeza said there were no immediate reports of injuries among motorists on the highway.
Footage shared online shows the aircraft tipped on its side and wedged against a highway barrier, with flames visible.
Zayra Garza, an esthetician, happened to be driving her coworkers home when she came across the crash scene. She pulled out her phone and began recording as she approached, eventually stopping her vehicle across from the burning plane.
Garza watched as someone inside the cockpit desperately tried to break through the window to get out. Within moments, other drivers had gotten out of their vehicles and were attempting to smash the window open from the outside to help.
Garza’s husband jumped out to join the effort. She then watched as the plane’s door swung open. Three people who appeared to be teenagers came rushing out, followed by what looked to be the pilot. A crew member then struggled to pull another person from the wreckage — someone who appeared to be unconscious.
“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” Garza said of the chaotic scene.
“What was worrying me was the fire,” she added. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
