Updated: 2 die as World War 11 Boeing plane crashes in Connecticut

A World War Two-era bomber crashed on Wednesday as it attempted to land at Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut, authorities said, and a local report said at least two persons were killed and more were seriously injured.

The Boeing B-17 crashed at the end of a runway at about 10 a.m. local time at the airport in the town of Windsor Locks, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Rescue crews raced to the fiery scene, the airport said, with local media showing video of a plume of thick, black smoke billowing skywards after the crash.

“We can confirm that there was an accident involving a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft this morning at Bradley Airport,” a post on the airport’s Facebook page said on Wednesday.

The aircraft is civilian-registered aircraft and not flown by the military, the FAA said.

Although there was no immediate official word on casualties or injuries, the Hartford Courant newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that at least two people were killed and three others were critically wounded.

One patient was flown to a local hospital by helicopter, while five more were driven by ambulance, the paper said.

The airport said it was shut amid a ‘fire and rescue operation.’

The non-profit Collings Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and public display of automotive and aviation-related history, according to its website.