Passenger plane crashes with ground vehicle at New York LaGuardia Airport

The pilot and co-pilot have been killed

New York's third-busiest airport has been closed for the time-being following the incident which occurred at 23:40 local time (03:30 GMT).

The accident saw a Jazz Aviation flight, operated by Air Canada Express, collide with a ground vehicle after operating a service from Montreal to New York.

Videos from the scene show the nose of the CRJ-900 aircraft, which carry between 70-90 people, crushed and torn off.

Sky News report that both the pilot and co-pilot have both been killed.

Local media report there are a number of injuries.

A statement from LaGuardia airport said: "At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4 at LaGuardia Airport in which the aircraft struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident. Emergency response protocols were immediately activated.

"The Port Authority Police Department is on scene along with the agency’s Chairman and Executive Director. The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation. This is a developing situation based on preliminary information.

"The Port Authority Police Department is working closely with our airline partners as well as federal authorities and will provide additional updates as more details become available."

CBS News reported that the plane was travelling at around 24mph when it collided with the ground vehicle.