A Canadian Air Force jet crashed on Sunday in Kamloops, British Columbia, during a flyover that was intended as a tribute to Canadians, especially those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities said.
The red and silver jet took off alongside another and did a wide turn once in flight, according to a video posted on Twitter. Shortly after, the plane could be seen heading downward.
It appeared that two people ejected from the plane in a plume of dark smoke before the aircraft nose-dived into a house in the Brocklehurst neighborhood of Kamloops, which is about 220 miles northeast of Vancouver.
As of Sunday evening, the authorities had not confirmed if there were any deaths or injuries.
“Our priority at this time is determining the status of our personnel and supporting emergency personnel,” the Royal Canadian Air Force said on Twitter.
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds last month announced Operation Inspiration. The mission consisted of the squadron flying over cities across Canada in a nine-jet formation with trailing white smoke. The Snowbirds were scheduled to start in Nova Scotia and work their way west throughout the week.
Squadron officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday night.
The planes had taken off from Kamloops Airport at 11:40 a.m. local time. Details on the second plane were not immediately available.
Witnesses said they had heard a loud boom and soon realized a plane had crashed in the area.
“No one knew what it was at the time,” said Kelly Badesso, 46, the owner of Mike’s Transmissions, an auto shop near the crash site. “I could see the smoke from the other side of town. There’s debris and stuff in people’s yards.”
One person was taken to a hospital, Adrian Dix, British Columbia’s minister of health, said on Twitter.
The crash occurred close to the corner of Glenview Avenue and Scheiner Street, according to Jason Hewlett, a radio show host who lives in the area.
“We live six or seven miles away from the crash and we heard a really loud boom,” Mr. Hewlett said. “You could see the smoke so we decided to walk toward it. The smell was really strong. You could start to smell the burning fuel.”
Photos shared on Twitter showed what appeared to be a parachute on the roof of a house.
Members of Kamloops Fire Rescue were at the crash site within five minutes, the city said in a statement.
“Kamloops Fire Rescue is working closely with assisting agencies including the RCMP, BC Ambulance, the YKA Crash Truck, Airport Authorities, and Military representatives,” the statement said.
