MIRAMAR, Fla. – Two women survived after their plane crashed in Miramar late Monday night, authorities confirmed.
According to Miramar police, the plane came down on Palm Avenue, just north of Miramar Parkway.
Witnesses called 911 to report that the plane hit a pole and trees on its way down.
Officers closed down Palm Avenue at Miramar Boulevard and Miramar Parkway.
The wings of the single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk were intact after the crash, but the propeller snapped off and the tail nearly broke off, as well.
According to flightaware.com, the plane took off from a Naples airport around 9:30 p.m. and was supposed to arrive at an airport in the Hollywood area around 10:30 p.m., but never made it to its destination.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the plane made an emergency landing at 10:40 p.m.
There were signs at the scene the next morning that paramedics had frantically worked to save the victims’ lives. On the ground, you could see that there was a used syringe, as well as a bloody bandage and a broken headset.
Two ambulances were spotted leaving the scene. Authorities later confirmed that two people were on board the plane and that they were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood in serious condition.
Sergio Mora lives nearby and told Local 10 News that police blocked off access to his neighborhood in the wake of the crash.
“We tried to get into our house, but we couldn’t, so my wife and my kids, they just dropped down the vehicle and went walking to the house and I stayed there until 2:30, maybe until 3 in the morning, waiting for them to open,” he said.
The women on board the plane were later identified as Gopika Sreekumar and Ravi Urmila. A Miramar police report stated that it was unclear which woman was flying the plane.
Officials worked throughout the day Tuesday to remove the aircraft from the crash scene. It was taken away late Tuesday afternoon.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will investigate the incident, with the NTSB taking the lead in the investigation.
Records show the plane is registered to UAN Venture Partners in Pasco County.