Eleven people, including a pilot and 10 parachutists, were killed when a small plane crashed in the northeastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, narrowly missing nearby homes, local officials and a witness said.
The aircraft, used by a parachuting school and carrying five trainee parachutists and five instructors, went down shortly after take-off, officials said. French media reported the trainees were a group of nurses.
A witness who declined to be identified said the plane was climbing at around 11am local time when the engine noise suddenly stopped, as if it had cut out. He said he saw no fire, explosion or other visible sign of a problem before the crash.
Yves Seguy, the regional prefect, said the aircraft plunged vertically to the ground. The crash occurred in a residential area near a shopping centre, with the wreckage of the single-engine plane sitting on a bike path.
“Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” Seguy said.
Media reports said the aircraft was registered in Germany. Germany’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment.
It was not immediately clear if the extreme heat played a role in the incident, with the highest temperature ever recorded in Nancy – the city near Tomblaine – one day earlier.