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 as their families watched, officials and a witness said.
The aircraft, which was used by a parachuting school and carrying five trainee parachutists and five instructors, crashed shortly after taking off from Nancy-Essey airport, officials said.
Some of the trainees’ family members were present at the small regional airport and saw the crash happen, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters.
“The plane crashed about 300 meters from the runway,” he said at the scene. “The situation here is very emotional.”
According to source, plane was climbing around 11:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) when the engine sound suddenly stopped, as if it had failed. He said there was no fire, explosion, or other visible problem before the crash.
Yves Seguy, the regional prefect, told that the aircraft fell straight down to the ground. The crash happened in a residential area near a shopping center, and the wreckage of the single-engine plane ended up on a bicycle path.
“If it had been just a few meters in another direction, the accident could have caused more casualties,” Seguy said.
Media reports said the aircraft was registered in Germany. Germany’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment.
It was not yet clear whether extreme heat played a role in the incident, although the highest temperature ever recorded in Nancy was reached one day earlier.
