KANSAS CITY : All 12 people aboard a plane carrying skydivers died Sunday (local time) after the aircraft crashed and caught fire near Butler Memorial Airport, south of Kansas City.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene adjacent to the airport at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time (16:30 GMT) and extinguished the fire.

Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing confirmed the flight’s purpose and described the crash site as “brutal.”

The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is on-site investigating the cause of the crash.