11 people died on Sunday as a result of a plane crash with a group of skydivers on board in northeastern France, authorities reported, writes UNN citing ABC News.
Details
Sunday's crash occurred near the town of Tomblaine in the French region of Meurthe-et-Moselle, according to a social media post by French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
According to officials, the plane's pilot and all 10 passengers on board died in the crash. Five of the deceased were student skydivers, and five were instructors, officials report.
Yves Séguy, an official of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, told journalists that the crash occurred shortly after the plane took off from Nancy-Essey Airport on the outskirts of the city of Nancy, reports AP.
Séguy, who holds the position of prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, stated that the plane experienced a malfunction, causing it to fall to the ground "almost vertically."
The plane crashed near a populated area, on the edge of a built-up area near the airfield, Séguy told French TV channel BFMTV.
"If it had happened just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have resulted in collateral casualties," Séguy said.
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