Osama bin Laden’s stepmother and sister are reportedly among four people who died when a private jet crashed into a car auction in Hampshire.
The £7 million Phenom 300 jet, owned by the family through company Salem Aviation, erupted into a huge fireball after overshooting the runway while trying to land at Blackbushe Airport at 3.09pm yesterday.
Four people died in the crash, including the Jordanian pilot and three passengers, after the jet exploded when it hit a carpark at the British Car Auction.
Bin Laden’s sister and stepmother being among the dead was reported by Saudi Arabian media. The airfield has been closed and the crash is not thought to be terrorism related.
The plane is usually based in Saudi Arabia, but is thought to have been flying from Milan, Italy, where the bin Laden family have interests.
Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdel-Aziz offered his condolences to the wealthy bin Laden family. He, however, did not identify the dead.
A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian embassy expressed their condolences to the bin Laden family.
“The embassy will follow up on the incident and its circumstances with the concerned British authorities and work on speeding up the handover of the bodies of the victims to the kingdom for prayer and burial,” the Saudi ambassador said in a statement tweeted by an embassy’s official.
سمو سفير خادم الحرمين الشريفين الامير محمد بن نواف يعزي أسرة بن لادن. pic.twitter.com/iHr1RlGWLC
— Saudi Embassy UK (@SaudiEmbassyUK) July 31, 2015
A source close to Saudi Arabian authorities said: ‘Saudi officials in contact with members of the (bin Laden) family. They are aware of the reports and are carrying out checks with members of the family for further information.’
Very sad people died please remember that and im not interested in selling rights its not right please no more offers pic.twitter.com/7UafZDqNdH
— Tubman Thomas (@tubman89) July 31, 2015
Acting chief inspector Olga Venner of Hampshire Police said: ‘We can confirm that there were four people on board, including the pilot. Sadly there were no survivors. No one on the ground has been injured and we would urge anyone with any information, including pictures or videos, to contact 101.’
She said police had launched a joint investigation with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
An airport spokesman said: ‘Blackbushe Airport confirmed that a Phenom 300 jet with four persons on board crashed near the end of the runway around 3.09pm while attempting to make a landing.
‘The scene was attended by Blackbushe Fire and Rescue within minutes, followed by Hampshire fire, police and ambulance units.’
Robert Belcher, a local aviation enthusiast, said he was driving home when he saw a plume of black smoke coming from the site.
He said: ‘I was passing the airport on my way home and there was a big column of smoke in the air. The fire service had closed the road behind me.
‘I could see the plume of smoke waving from about five miles away and was hoping it was just a car fire rather than an aircraft accident.’
