NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Multiple deaths were reported on Thursday after a business jet crashed when landing at a regional airport in Statesville, U.S. state of North Carolina, police said.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern time at the airport and triggered a large fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell confirmed there were fatalities in the crash, without giving more details. It was not immediately known how many people were aboard the plane, or whether there were any survivors.

Video footage showed first responders rushing onto the runway as scattered wreckage from the plane was engulfed in the fire.

John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport manager, told reporters that the FAA was taking over the crash scene. "The airport now is closed until further notice. It will take some time to get the debris off the runway, to get it safe again," he said.

Authorities said an investigation is underway. ■