US News

Plane crash on roof of California shopping center leaves 1 dead

A small plane crashed into the roof of a California shopping center Thursday, killing at least one person and leaving a second in critical condition, according to news reports.

It is unclear if the victims were both aboard the plane when it crashed.

The small Cessna plane, which hit the Crenshaw Boulevard retail center shortly after 3 p.m. eastern time, was believed to have taken off from Torrance Municipal Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration told CBS Los Angeles.

The airport is about a mile east of the crash site.

Video of the aftermath of the crash shows pieces of the wrecked plane dangling off the edge of the shopping center as firefighters sift through it.

The plane was a single-engine Cessna 177, according to NBC-TV in San Diego.