At least five people were killed on Wednesday when a US military plane crashed in Georgia, officials said.

Axar.az reports citing sputniknews.com.

A U.S. Air National Guard cargo plane crashed on a busy highway about a mile away from the Savannah airport, but did not hit any cars, a spokesperson for the Effingham County Sherriff’s Office announced.

Black smoke rose from the crash site. Firefighters later put out the blaze.

The plane was identified as a C-130 from the 156th Airlift Wing based in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It was being used for a training mission when it crashed, the National Guard said.

Capt. Jeff Bezore, a spokesman for the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Air Wing, said the crash killed at least five people, adding that the identities of those on the plane would be released upon notification to their next of kin.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.