WATCH: Private plane crashes in Dominican Republic, pilot and co-pilot killed

A private plane crashed on the runway at La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic, killing the pilot and co-pilot, the national aviation authority of the Dominican Republic said. Authorities reported there were no passengers on board. According to Agence France-Presse, the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute issued a statement saying that the plane declared an emergency about 16 nautical miles southwest of La Romana and crashed while trying to return to the airport. Videos shared on social media showed large amounts of smoke billowing from the airport and fire trucks spraying water to extinguish the blaze. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash, which was a Gulfstream G200 jet, according to aviation authorities. La Romana International Airport serves the nearby tourist destination of La Romana, where tourism is the country’s main economic pillar, supporting the Dominican Republic’s population of approximately 11.6 million (Rs 116 crore). This follows a fatal crash in 2021 when a private plane took off from Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, killing nine people.