Dad, Daughter Killed When Their Aid Plane Crashes

A father and daughter setting out to deliver aid to Jamaica died Monday morning when their plane crashed in Florida just five minutes after takeoff. Authorities say Alexander Wurm, 53, founder of the evangelical Christian ministry Ignite the Fire, and his daughter Serena, 22, were killed when their Beechcraft King Air went down in a Coral Springs lake north of Miami. The plane narrowly missed homes in a gated community, ripping through a backyard fence, per the Guardian. Surveillance footage showed it breaking apart on impact, per NBC News. Emergency crews responded quickly, but the operation soon shifted from rescue to recovery.

The two had departed Fort Lauderdale en route to Jamaica to deliver supplies for hurricane relief. Alexander Wurm had completed another aid delivery on Nov. 4 to the country ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, per NBC. A statement from Ignite the Fire described Alexander Wurm as a man whose "legacy of faith and compassion touched countless lives," and Serena Wurm as "a beacon of empathy and hope" who followed her father into humanitarian work. Their final flight, the statement said, "embodied selflessness and courage." The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.