At least four people were killed on Thursday after a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from the central Mexican state of Puebla.

Dramatic visuals shared online showed the small aircraft rapidly losing altitude before dropping almost vertically to the ground and shattering on impact. The plane collided with the ground in a cloud of dust and debris within moments of take off on Thursday.

Puebla-based news and talk radio channel Cinco Radio reported that the Federal Civil Aviation Agency had launched an investigation into the crash. An official statement shared by the agency said the Cessna 172 aircraft had lost communication with Air Traffic Control minutes after takeoff.

“Search and location protocols were immediately activated, resulting in the discovery of the crashed aircraft with three deceased individuals inside (two crew members and one passenger), as well as one person seriously injured,” it added in a notice roughly translated from Spanish.

Multiple reports confirmed that the sole survivor had succumbed to his injuries while being taken away for medical care.

What do we know about the crash?

The single-engine plane crashed minutes after taking off from the Hermanos Serdan International Airport. The Civil Protection agency of Puebla said the plane came down in an industrial park in the Santa Ana Xalmimilulco area around 12:00 pm local time. Witnesses told Xinhua that the plane had descended rapidly near a local highway before crashing into the farmland.

Local resident Vicente Hernandez told AFP that the plane attempted to recover, but it was “already (flying) very low”. The aircraft was unable to make a recovery and ultimately plunged nose-first into the ground. Authorities said the carrier was destined for the city of Poza Rica, in the eastern state of Veracruz.

The Puebla Interior Ministry said three people were pronounced dead at the scene while a fourth died after being taken away for medical care. Local media reports suggested that the plane may have belonged to an aviation school.

The identities of the victims have not been released officially and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.