TOMBLAINE: A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed near the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, local authorities said. The incident is being described as one of France’s deadliest accidents involving a light aircraft.
The victims included five instructors, five students, and the pilot, according to Yves Seguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in eastern France.
“There were no bystanders among the victims,” Seguy said during a press conference, confirming that everyone who died was on board the aircraft.
The aircraft, which was registered in Germany, crashed in a grassy area near the runway of Nancy-Essey aerodrome, close to a residential neighbourhood and two roads, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.
Authorities said the cause of the crash was not immediately known, and a technical investigation has been launched to determine what led to the accident.
Medical and psychological support teams were providing assistance to relatives of the victims who had gathered at the airfield, as well as to witnesses affected by the crash.
Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in the eastern city of Nancy, said a technical investigation into the incident had been opened.
Police urged people on the social media platform X to “strictly avoid” the area around the airport to ensure emergency services could operate without disruption.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is expected to visit the crash site later on Sunday afternoon, according to his office.