Six feared dead in small plane crash in Arizona

WASHINGTON: A small plane carrying six people crashed in a fireball in the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona on Wednesday, and those aboard were feared dead, local authorities said.

"We just know there were six people on board. Given the nature of the crash and where it happened, it is highly unlikely that anybody survived," Elias Johnson, a spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, told by phone.

Emergency crews were struggling through rough terrain to reach the crash site, he added, and a tire found at the scene was consistent with a twin-engine aircraft.

Though an infrared detector was used from helicopters to detect any survivors in the dark, "there is no indication that anybody needs to be rescued," he added.

The accident happened as millions of Americans journeyed around the United States on some of the country's busiest travel days of the year, at the start of the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. (AFP)