Officials in Philadelphia are expected to provide an update on their investigation into the medical transport jet that crashed in Philadelphia earlier today.

The small plane was carrying a six-year-old girl who had undergone treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother and four crew members when it plummeted into a neighbourhood in the city and exploded in flames.

The plane was on its way to Missouri where it was due to stop before eventually taking the child and her mother home to Mexico. It crashed less than three miles north-east of Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference late on Friday that officials expected fatalities in the “awful aviation disaster”.

“We know that there will be loss,” he said.

The crash came just two days after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided in mid-air in Washington, DC. There were no survivors.