15 hurt as Skydiving aircraft veers off New Jersey runway, crashes into forested area

At least 15 people were taken to a hospital when a small skydiving aircraft went off the end of a runway at an airport in southern New Jersey and crashed in a wooded area on Wednesday evening, according to authorities.

The incident at the Cross Keys Airport, about 33.8 kilometres southeast of Philadelphia, involved a Cessna 208B carrying 15 people, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson, who said it's under investigation.

Aerial footage of the crashed plane shows it in a wooded area, with several pieces of debris nearby. Firetrucks and other emergency vehicles surrounded the scene.

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Three people are being evaluated at Cooper University Hospital's trauma centre in Camden, New Jersey, and eight people with less severe injuries are being treated in its emergency department, Wendy A. Marano, a spokesperson for the hospital, said.

Four other patients also with “minimal injuries” are waiting for further evaluation, she said. She wasn't able to provide the exact nature of the injuries.

Members of the hospital's EMS and trauma department were at the crash site, she said.

A person who answered the phone at Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday said he had no information and referred questions to Skydive Cross Keys, a commercial skydiving business located at the airport. Skydive Cross Keys didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

Gloucester County Emergency Management warned the public on its Facebook page to avoid the area in order to let emergency vehicles access the site.