Nine people dead after private jet crashes and explodes into huge fireball several miles from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Florida resort

Nine people have died after a private jet crashed to the ground in Florida and exploded into a huge ball of fire near a busy road.

The Learjet 60 private jet was flying near West Palm Beach on Sunday (1 November) at around 12.50pm local time when it nose-dived and smashed into the ground before bursting into flames.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has confirmed that all nine people onboard have died, calling the incident an ‘horrific tragedy’.

"Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost,” he said.

The incident happened around eight miles away from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate

The Federal Aviation Administration has said it is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the cause.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas.

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said it was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.

“This is definitely a tragedy,” he said.

Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go down or who was on it.

The plane was heading east at 35,000ft when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb 2,000ft.

Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000ft per minute, then 20,000ft per minute and up to 30,000ft per minute, speeding the plane beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.

A pilot then declared an emergency and issued distress calls.

The plane veered sharply to the right before it crashed steeply into the ground.

Footage of the crash shared on social media showed the aircraft plunging out of the sky and bursting into a fireball as it hit the ground near a major roadway and appearing to just miss homes.

In the video, flames could be seen flickering around chunks of pavement lining the crater as people milled about, expressing shock that it landed only feet from homes and only inches from passing vehicles.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said the crash left a crater in the ground and spewed debris.

There were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed, he said.

“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” Mr DeSantis told reporters at the scene on Sunday.

“It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”

Minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700ft, according to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

Harrowing air traffic control audio obtained by the New York Post, detailed the plane’s final moments, with the pilot telling the controller: “We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.

“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute.

"We’re going to crash into the ground.”

Local authorities are evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash.

The road will be closed until further notice, county officials said.