A civilian plane transporting skydivers crashed near the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, killing all 11 on board, according to local officials, in one of France’s deadliest light aircraft accidents.
The disaster killed five teachers, five students, and the pilot, according to Yves Seguy, the prefect of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
“There were no bystanders among the victims,” he stated during a press conference.
The German-registered plane crashed in a grassy area near the runway of the Nancy-Essey airfield, close to a residential area and two roadways, according to an AFP journalist.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Medical and psychological support teams are caring for victims’ relatives and witnesses at the airfield. A technical inquiry has been launched, according to Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in the eastern city of Nancy.
Police encouraged users of the social media site X to “strictly avoid” the airport area so that emergency personnel could access it.
According to his staff, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez will visit the accident scene in the late afternoon.
