 Several people were killed when a small airplane crashed on the side of Interstate 40 in Nashville Monday night, prompting the closure of the roadway as officials investigate, police said. According to CNN, a single-engine airplane has crashed off the eastbound lanes of I-40 just past the Charlotte exit. Several persons on board are deceased. Work continues to determine from where the plane originated. The Metro Nashville Police Department said in a post on X.Witness video shows an aircraft engulfed in flames and smoke, and images shared by police capture the aircraft's mangled frame surrounded by first responders on a grassy roadside. Live traffic cameras also showed a large emergency vehicle response blocking all eastbound travel lanes near the crash site and a string of gridlocked traffic leading up to the shutdown stretch of I-40 east. The crash has prompted the closure of I-40 east at mile marker 202, Tennessee Department of Transportation Region 3 spokeswoman Rebecca Hammons said on X.