Anchorage, AKThree people are believed to have been killed in a cargo plane crash in Denali National Park in Alaska on Sunday. The names of the dead have not been released, as authorities were still working to identify the remains on Monday so they could notify the next of kin.
According to a report by NBC, the plane burst into flames and started a bush fire when it crashed, which has hampered access to the scene of the crash. "We haven't been able to thoroughly examine the wreckage because of the fire," park spokeswoman Kris Fister told msnbc.com. Reports on Monday morning indicate the fire has been brought under control.
The plane was a Fairchild C-123, and it crashed near the eastern edge of the park at about 3:15 pm Pacific time, Sunday. The crash site is 100 yards from the only major road that runs through the park. The registered owner of the plane is All West Freight, Inc of Delta Junction, Alaska.
Jeff Kowalczyk, a resident of Anchorage who witnessed the accident, told KTUU-TV that the crash site was "a big ball of flame. We looked back and it started banking to the pilot's left, kept banking more and more until it was upside-down and crashed in the hill right in back of us.
"We walked around the perimeter, took about a half-hour for the park rangers to show up and help out — but we saw one body, one body burned pretty bad, pilot probably."