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[WATCH] Five die as plane crashes into Melbourne shopping centre
A plane that crashed into a shopping centre near Essendon airport in Melbourne, killing five people, had a 'catastrophic engine failure' shortly after takeoff, according to police
Emergency services personnel are seen at the scene of a plane crash in Essendon in Melbourne, Australia
A pilot and four American passengers were killed on Tuesday when a small plane crashed in to the roof of a shopping mall after taking off from an airfield outside Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, police said.
The twin-turboprop Beechcraft King Air plane suffered an engine failure and veered just after take-off into the shopping centre, that was still closed, next to Essendon Fields airport.
"Five on the aircraft and looks like no-one has survived the crash," Victoria police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane said.
"All five occupants were male - the pilot was Australian and the four passengers were from the United States of America," Victoria police said in later statement.
The private charter from Essendon, came down just short of a major motorway packed with the heavy traffic of early morning commuters. Victoria police superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations centred on a "catastrophic engine failure". The flight made a May-Day call before crashing, he added.
The crash happened at around 9:00am, about an hour before the mall was due to open and there were no fatalities other than those aboard the aircraft.
Victoria premier Daniel Andrews described it as the state's worst air accident in three decades.
