One person killed after plane crashes into family home in Germany

At least one person has been killed after a small plane crashed into a home in northern Germany, police have confirmed.

The aircraft, which had two people on board, lost altitude and crashed into the roof of a house in a residential area of Ganderkesee in Lower Saxony.

The crash took place shortly after 11am yesterday.

The cockpit of the plane was destroyed upon impact, with the crash also causing significant damage to the detached house.

Photographs from the scene show the tail of the aircraft hanging from an enormous hole in the roof.

The second person on board the plane is yet to be found, with firefighters still looking for them.

A police spokesman said: “Due to the overall situation at the crash site, the rescue and recovery operations are extremely complex and are ongoing.”

The homeowners were not in the house when the crash took place and neighbours within a 100-metere radius of the accident were immediately evacuated from nearby homes.

A crisis-intervention team was called to the scene to provide support to people who witnessed the devastating crash.

Police have begun an investigation into the cause of the crash and rescuers have cut off power to the buildings surrounding the impact site.

The incident comes just a month after 11 people were killed after a plane carrying skydivers crashed in France.

The crash took place in a town called Tomblaine, near the city of Nancy.

The plane was carrying a group of skydivers, with five students alongside five instructors, local officials have confirmed.

French media reported that that plane that crashed as a Pilatus, that was registered in Germany.

The Pilatus is commonly used for parachute jumps.

The mayor of the nearby city of Nancy, Mathieu Klein, said some of the victims had died "in full view of their loved ones".

Some of the victims' relatives saw the crash take place, as they had gathered at the airfield to watch the jumps.

Chaynesse Khirouni, president of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said those family members had suffered "considerable psychological trauma".

Yves Seguy, the prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said: "Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties."

He told French broadcaster BFM that the plane had fallen "almost vertically, in the immediate vicinity of a housing estate".