What to know as 11 dead in France skydiving plane crash
At least 11 have died after a civilian plane crashed in eastern France on Sunday.
A group of skydivers were on board the plane which belonged to a parachutist school. It crashed shortly after take-off at around 11am local time (midday UK time).
The plane reportedly fell “suddenly, in the immediate vicinity of the airfield”, according to Yves Seguy, an official of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.
No one was injured on the ground despite the crash happening in a built-up urban area, officials said.
“Give or take a few meters and the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” Seguy said.
Speaking to French TV station BFMTV, Seguy added the plane “was carrying out jump exercises when it experienced a malfunction… The plane fell almost vertically, in the immediate vicinity of a housing estate, on the edge of the airfield”.
Emergency services responded and the French interior minister is en route to the crash site.
“The human toll is particularly heavy: 11 people have lost their lives. I offer my sincerest condolences to their loved ones,” Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on X.
The pilot and ten passengers have died, according to local officials.
The flight was carrying five students and five instructors.
None of the victims have been named, so far, but local media has reported a number of nurses were taking part in the skydive.
Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFMTV: “It would appear that independent nurses are the victims.”
Relatives of those killed are thought to be among the witnesses of the crash.
The aircraft crashed down in the town of Tomblaine in north-eastern France, according to local authorities.
Local news reports stated the plane had taken off from the Nancy-Essey airfield in the town, which is near the city of Nancy.
Hervé Feron, the mayor of Tomblaine, was quoted by French newssite L’est Republican, saying: “The plane was taking off when it suddenly crashed. At the moment, there is no explanation for the accident.”
A former president of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Investigation (BEA), Jean-Paul Troadec, told BFMTV the most likely causes of the crash could be “a mechanical accident, perhaps an engine failure, or an imbalance in the aircraft”.
Troadec said investigators will attempt to recover all recordings made by the control tower and air navigation radar recordings if available, and interview any witnesses.
“We are also counting heavily on recordings that may have been made on board the aircraft, as passengers may have recorded videos,” he said.