Nashville, Tennessee - Five people were killed Monday when a small private plane crashed near a highway in Nashville, Tennessee, local police said.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a post on X that "5 persons on board the airplane perished in the crash."

It also posted a picture of the mangled wreckage of the single-engine plane.

CNN also cited Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney, who said: "That impact was catastrophic and did not leave any survivors."

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The department said on X that there was a "heavy fire" when its responders arrived on the scene.

Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron was quoted by US media as saying the plane had reported engine and power failure around 7:40 PM CT.

It was cleared for an emergency landing at Nashville's John C. Tune Airport, but came down just a few miles from the airport on Interstate 40, which was initially closed by authorities following the incident.

In a further update, Nashville PD specified that "one lane of I-40 east [between] the Charlotte Pk & White Bridge exits will be reopening shortly."

"Two of the 3 lanes should be open for rush hour traffic Tue morning. Nevertheless, expect slow traffic & delays in this area Tue morning."

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.