COMPTON, Calif. — A twin-engine plane crashed into two homes Saturday outside Los Angeles, injuring the two people onboard and three on the ground, authorities said.
The Cessna 310 went down just before 4 p.m. near the Compton/Woodley Airport, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
The plane’s fuselage crashed through one roof, and its left wing lodged in a second home.
The plane was carrying two men, and both were in critical condition, Gregor said.
In one house, a woman was critically injured and a man suffered less serious injuries, Gregor said. In the other home, a woman complained of chest pains.
The crash did not cause a fire, according to Downey fire Capt. Lonnie Kroom.
The flight originated at Montgomery Field in San Diego and was heading for Hawthorne Municipal Airport, about 10 miles away.
Missouri: Levee fails for 2nd time
A levee along the Black River in southeast Missouri failed for the second time in recent weeks, causing widespread flooding and forcing the evacuation of homes, authorities said Saturday. About 50 homes east of Poplar Bluff were evacuated Saturday, but no injuries were reported, officials said. Some homes had 3 feet of water in them.
N.J.: Artillery shell fragment hits girl’s bed
The Army is suspending outdoor weapons testing at a northern New Jersey base after a wayward artillery shell fragment crashed through the roof of a home miles away, fatally injuring a pet cat, the base’s commanding officer said Saturday. Picatinny Arsenal officials will investigate how a 2-pound piece of artillery fired from the base ended up crashing through the roof of a Jefferson Township home Friday afternoon, Brig. Gen. William Phillips said in a statement. The hot metal landed on the bed of Cheryl Angle’s 10-year-old daughter, who wasn’t home.
China: President meets with new Taiwan vice president
Taiwan’s next vice president sat down with Chinese leader Hu Jintao for a brief but historic chat on Hainan Island on Saturday, raising hopes that the rivals would begin to ease six decades of hostilities. The meeting between Hu and Vincent Siew marked the first time such a high-ranking elected figure from Taiwan visited a Chinese president since the two sides split in 1949, when Communists took over Beijing and Taiwan refused to be ruled by the new government.
Afghanistan: 24 militants killed in clash, airstrikes
Afghan and foreign troops clashed with militants and called in airstrikes on them late Friday in southern Afghanistan, killing 24 and wounding 8, an official said Saturday.
Haiti: Prime minister ousted in food-price crisis
Haitian lawmakers on Saturday dismissed the country’s prime minister, hoping to defuse widespread anger over rising food prices that led to days of deadly protests and looting. Opposition Sen. Youri Latortue said lawmakers ousted Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis because he did not boost food production and refused to set a timetable for the departure of U.N. peacekeepers. President Rene Preval earlier announced plans to cut the price of a 50-pound bag of rice from $51 to $43.
Iran: Bomb in mosque kills nine
A bomb explosion in a mosque packed with hundreds of worshippers in southern Iran killed at least nine people and injured 105 on Saturday, local media reported. The Fars news agency said the explosion in Shiraz went off as a cleric was delivering his weekly speech against extremist Wahabi beliefs and the outlawed Bahai faith. A police official said a homemade bomb caused the explosion, Fars reported.
Kenya: Coalition Cabinet deal reached
President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga reached a deal Saturday on a coalition Cabinet, following protracted talks on implementing a power-sharing deal meant to end the political crisis over a disputed election, officials said. Kibaki and Odinga agreed in February to share power after weeks of postelection violence that left more than 1,000 dead 300,000 displaced. Observers said the Dec. 27 election was so flawed it is impossible to tell who won.
From Herald news services
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