Dartmouth: Two people were killed and one person on the ground was injured when a small plane crashed and caught fire on a major highway in the US state of Massachusetts last night amid heavy rain and strong winds. Local authorities said that the aircraft went down on Interstate 195 in the town of Dartmouth, triggering a fire and sending thick smoke billowing above the highway.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said the highway was closed in both directions near the crash site in Dartmouth, while emergency teams worked to extinguish the flames and clear debris.

Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that there were no known survivors on board the plane, which may have been attempting to land at New Bedford Regional Airport.

In a similar incident last September, two people were killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire near an airport in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.