A private plane carrying nine people crashed in the Bahamas on Sunday, killing all on board, according to reports reaching here from Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
The plane, enroute from Nassau to the island of Grand Bahama, collided into a crane in a shipyard while making approach for landing, exploded on the impact, and then ended at a junkyard area at about 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The crash claimed nine lives on board immediately while there were no casualties on the ground, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation said.
The Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said it was raining heavily when the crash occurred and that a commercial flight on the same route chose to turn back after finding it difficult to land.
Those on the crashed Lear 36 Executive Jet included Myles Munroe, a prominent pastor who was due to host a church conference in Grand Bahama.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, the Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by Munroe's death. He described the pastor as "one of the most global recognizable religious figures" in the country and his death an "immeasurable loss" .
Recovery work started right after the crash and on-site investigation for the cause of the accident is underway, according to the Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation.