Single-engine plane crashes along Tennessee highway, killing those aboard and closing lanes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Nashville say that multiple people have died after a small plane crashed Monday night near an interstate highway, shutting down multiple lanes.

The single-engine plane crashed in a grassy median just off Interstate 40 near a Costco store in the western part of the city, the Metro Nashville Police Department said. Upon impact, the plane burst into flames.

Several people were aboard the plane and it appears that all were killed, police spokesperson Don Aaron said. An exact number of victims has not been determined, he said.

There were no injuries to drivers on the interstate, Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said. Authorities said no vehicles or buildings on the ground were damaged.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said it was alerted to the crash, which happened 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of John C. Tune Airport, at 7:49 p.m.

Aaron didn’t have information on where the plane came from.

Transportation officials said that the eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate after Metro first responders ensure the accident scene is safe, the airport authority said.