The plane crashed in the vicinity of a shopping mall, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.

US President Donald Trump said that “more innocent souls were lost” in the “sad” Philadelphia plane crash.

“More innocent souls lost,” the US president posted on social media platform Truth Social. “Our people are totally engaged.”

The medical transport company Jet Rescue Air Ambulance also said it could not confirm survivors.

“We cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said in a statement. “Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.”

The company said that six people aboard were from Mexico. The child had been treated in Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition and was being transported home to Mexico’s Tijuana, Shai Gold, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance spokesperson said.

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management confirmed on social media that there was a “major incident” in the area of the reported crash, but provided no other details.

“Major incident near Cottman and Bustelton Avenues in Northeast Philadelphia across from Roosevelt Mall. Roads closed in area including parts of Roosevelt Boulevard. Avoid area,” the city’s emergency management office wrote on X.

Visuals shared on social media showed that the plane crashed near a row of houses. Several firefighters and emergency responders were on the scene.

Flight data showed a small jet taking off from the airport at 6:06pm (local time) and disappearing from radar about 30 seconds later after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet, reported the Associated Press.

The crash site is located about 4.8 kilometres from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.

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A local resident told AP that he heard a loud bang and his house shook. “There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second,” he said.

The incident comes days after a passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC.

All 64 persons onboard the passenger jet and three persons on the helicopter died in the crash, which was the deadliest in more than two decades in the United States.

The crash unfolded in a heavily congested airspace near the US capital, a region which is frequently populated by low-flying commercial aircraft and military helicopters.

The collision also raised questions about how a passenger plane, equipped with modern collision-avoidance technology, could collide with a military aircraft in such a busy area.