Four killed as medical plane crashes in US state of Arizona

A medical transport plane carrying four people crashed and caught fire near an airport in the US state of Arizona on Tuesday, killing all on board, local authorities said.

The small propeller aircraft went down near Chinle Airport in the northern part of the state while en route to pick up a patient from a hospital, local police said in a statement on Facebook. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The crash occurred within the Navajo Nation reservation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The victims were members of medical personnel, according to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. NBC News, citing the aircraft's operator CSI Aviation, reported that the dead included two pilots and two healthcare contractors.