Eleven killed after plane carrying skydivers crashes in eastern France
✓Eleven people have died after a civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine in eastern France, local authorities said.
The pilot and 10 passengers died in the incident, including five students and five instructors, according to local officials.
The plane, which was being used by a parachutist school, had taken off from Nancy-Essey airfield when it crashed, local media reported.
Police have urged the public to avoid the area around the airport in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said he and interior minister Laurent Nunez were travelling to the scene of the crash, which he called a "terrible tragedy".
Yves Seguy, the prefect of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said that no bystanders were injured in the incident, according to the AFP news agency .
The crash took place in a built up area near a shopping centre, AFP reports.
"The plane fell almost vertically, in the immediate vicinity of a housing estate, on the edge of the airfield," Seguy told French broadcaster BFM, adding it was lucky there were no additional victims.
Half of the skydivers who died were nurses, Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFM.
Local officials also said relatives of the victims were present at the airfield when the crash happened.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
A civilian aircraft operating as a skydiving platform crashed near Tomblaine in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of eastern France. All eleven people aboard died—the pilot and ten passengers comprising five student skydivers and five instructors. The plane departed from Nancy-Essey airfield and descended almost vertically in a densely populated area adjacent to the airfield, near a shopping centre. Local authorities confirmed no bystanders sustained injuries. Officials noted that five of the deceased were nurses. French transport and interior ministers responded by travelling to the scene. Relatives of victims were at the airfield when the incident occurred.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Eleven people have died after a civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine in eastern France, local authorities said.
The pilot and 10 passengers died in the incident, including five students and five instructors, according to local officials.
The plane, which was being used by a parachutist school, had taken off from Nancy-Essey airfield when it crashed, local media reported.
Police have urged the public to avoid the area around the airport in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said he and interior minister Laurent Nunez were travelling to the scene of the crash, which he called a "terrible tragedy".
Yves Seguy, the prefect of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said that no bystanders were injured in the incident, according to the AFP news agency .
The crash took place in a built up area near a shopping centre, AFP reports.
"The plane fell almost vertically, in the immediate vicinity of a housing estate, on the edge of the airfield," Seguy told French broadcaster BFM, adding it was lucky there were no additional victims.
Half of the skydivers who died were nurses, Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFM.
Local officials also said relatives of the victims were present at the airfield when the crash happened.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Eleven people died in the crash, including the pilot, five student skydivers, and five instructors The crash occurred in Tomblaine, a town in eastern France's Meurthe-et-Moselle department The aircraft took off from Nancy-Essey airfield The plane descended almost vertically near a housing estate and shopping centre No bystanders were injured in the incident Half of the deceased skydivers were nurses It was fortunate there were no additional victims given the proximity to populated areas The incident was described as a terrible tragedy by French transport minister Philippe Tabarot
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
- A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in Tomblaine, eastern France, killing all eleven people on board: the pilot, five students, and five instructors
- The plane departed from Nancy-Essey airfield and crashed in a built-up area near a shopping centre; no bystanders were injured
- Half of the skydiving victims were nurses; relatives of victims were present at the airfield at the time