FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A single-engine plane crashed in the Everglades in western Broward County on Saturday, injuring two men who were on board, officials said.
The crash of the Champion 7ECA aircraft happened at 4:15 p.m. EDT about five miles west of Pembroke Pines, in an area accessible only by airboats.
One of the men had to be extricated from the plane, said Pembroke Pines Fire-Rescue Assistant Division Chief Marcel Rodriguez.
He said both victims were in serious condition when they were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
Rodriguez said he did not know the plane's flight plan, or what caused it to crash near Johnson Road and U.S. Highway 27.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, Public Affairs Officer Eric Weiss said. The Federal Aviation Administration also is looking into the crash, said spokesman Jim Peters.
Television news helicopters filmed the wreckage, showing the damaged red-and-white striped aircraft twisted on the ground.
"The aircraft will remain on site until tomorrow morning," Rodriguez said, adding that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers will guard the wreckage until it is removed.
One of the victims was treated as a trauma patient, according to Tweets from the Broward Sheriff's Office and Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue, which also responded to the crash and helped transport the patients.
