FIVE passengers on board a small plane have all been killed after it crashed into the car park of a shopping centre.

The twin-engine aircraft declared an emergency on Sunday afternoon before crashing about a mile from John Wayne Airport in California.

Images from the scene showed the wreckage of the jet in the middle of parked cars.

Pictures also show the extensive damage to an empty vehicle after it was hit by the aircraft.

Authorities say the five people killed were all on board the plane and nobody on the ground was hurt.

Orange County Fire Authority Captain Steve Concialdi says the Cessna was heading to the airport when it came down and struck an empty parked car in the lot of a Staples store.

On Twitter an eyewitness wrote: "Never in my life did I think I would see a plane fall out of the sky."

A second onlooker said: "I actually saw the plane fall from the sky while I was a passenger in my husband’s car about 500 ft away from the crash site."

They added: "The plane came out of nowhere and fell very fast. So sad to hear about the passengers."

The Federal Aviation Administration are now said to be investigating the crash.

The parking lot is shared by a pharmacy, a bank and an art-supply store.