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Three confirmed dead as cargo jet crashes into bay in Texas

Three confirmed dead as cargo jet crashes into bay in Texas

All three people on-board a cargo jet have died after it crashed in Texas.

The Boeing 767 was on route from Miami to Houston in Texas with three people on board when it crashed into a bay just east of the city.

Witnesses told emergency personnel that the twin-engine plane "went in nose first", leaving a debris field three-quarters-of-a-mile long in Trinity Bay.

Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne described the scene as "total devastation".

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Witnesses said they heard the plane's engines surging and that the aircraft turned sharply before falling into a nosedive, Mr Hawthorne said.

Aerial footage shows emergency personnel walking along a spit of marshland flecked by debris that extends into the water.

The sheriff said recovering pieces of the plane, its black box containing flight data records and any remains of the people on board will be difficult in muddy marshland that extends to about 5ft deep in the area.

Airboats are needed to access the area.

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The plane had departed from Miami and was likely only minutes away from landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it issued an alert after officials lost radar and radio contact with Atlas Air Flight 3591 when it was about 30 miles south-east of the airport.

The Coast Guard dispatched boats and at least one helicopter to assist in the search for survivors. A dive team with the Texas Department of Public Safety will be tasked with finding the black box, Mr Hawthorne added.

- PA and additional reporting by Digital Desk

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