Number of injured in Philadelphia plane crash rises to 24 as investigation into cause continues
PHILADELPHIA -- The number of people known to be injured in the Northeast Philadelphia plane crash is now 24, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Monday.
Of those people, four are still hospitalized. Two of them are in critical condition.
The number of fatalities related to the crash remains at seven: the six people who were on the plane and one person on the ground.
Parker said officials are being "very careful" when talking about the number of injuries and fatalities.
She noted that the city is working with the forensics department and other partners as the investigation continues.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a number of factors will be looked into when determining what caused the crash.
"The FAA and the NTSB, they will look at weather. Was there medical concerns? Was there technical or mechanical issues on the airplane?" he said.
Duffy noted that a preliminary report from the NTSB is expected in 30 days.
ABC Philadelphia affiliate WPVI spoke with some people who live in the area where debris came raining down. They say they're mainly staying inside as the investigation unfolds at their doorsteps.
"I still feel like I'm stuck in a nightmare. It's so weird," said Rayssa Reis, of Northeast Philadelphia. "Everybody's very sad, still trying to process everything."
"It's like a desert. Nobody, no action, no nothing, the stores are closed," added fellow Northeast Philadelphia resident, Gloria Sokolowski.
The aftermath is still unfolding day by day in front of neighbors who saw crews tow away several of the vehicles that were burned after the plane crashed and exploded.
Investigators are working around the impact crater, next to a Dunkin'.
Several pieces of evidence, including the plane's all-important voice recorder, were recovered on Sunday. The NTSB said the device, known as a black box, was buried about 8 feet down into the massive crater that formed after the crash on Friday night.
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Investigators also recovered the "Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System," which may also contain flight data.
Both engines were also recovered.
Neighbors are setting up memorials by putting out balloons and candles for the victims.
The horror of it all is still very fresh in their minds.
Kyle Sokolowski recorded a harrowing video from right after the crash. He didn't initially know what caused the destruction, but once he realized what was going on and saw people suffering from grave injuries, he stopped recording and started helping.
"The explosions -- everything happened at the same time, and you get this instinct if you're going to run away or you're going to run toward it and help people," Sokolowski described. "The thing that helped me deal with it is that I actually helped someone."
He says he'll be decompressing for quite sometime after that experience.
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He is just one of the firsthand accounts WPVI has been hearing of how some people jumped in and helped where they could.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance has identified the six people killed on board the flight as Capt. Alan Montoya, co-pilot Josue Juarez, paramedic Rodrigo Padilla and Dr. Raul Meza.
The pediatric patient was identified as 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo. Her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna, also died in the crash.
One person on the ground was killed. That person's name has not been released.
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