June 14 (Reuters) - Twelve people reportedly died in the crash of a private plane on Sunday in Butler, Missouri, law enforcement officials said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash occurred near the Butler Memorial Airport, about 60 miles (100 km) south of Kansas City, Missouri.
"At this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished," the agency wrote in a post on X.
The victims included 11 skydivers and a pilot, a spokesperson with Bates County Emergency Management told
local TV station Fox4.
The plane took off from Butler Memorial Airport and crashed a short time later, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson told reporters on Sunday afternoon.
"This is not a commercial airliner that has crashed; it's a local airplane that took off from our local airport," Anderson said. "This appears to be an accident," Anderson said at a news conference.
Family members of the victims witnessed the crash, he said.
Officials with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration are at the scene of the crash and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are on their way, Anderson said.
Multiple local fire departments and coroners' offices responded after an emergency call was made shortly before 11:30 a.m. (1630 GMT), Anderson said. Authorities were working to identify victims and notify family members as of Sunday afternoon.
(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan; Writing by Christian Martinez; Editing by Sergio Non and Edmund Klamann)
