Plane crash kills 11 people in northeastern France

A tragic plane crash claimed the lives of 11 people, including the pilot and 10 parachutists, after a small aircraft went down moments after taking off from Nancy-Essey Airport in the northeastern French town of Tomblaine. According to officials, the aircraft belonged to a parachuting school and was carrying five trainee parachutists and five instructors. The plane crashed about 300 metres from the runway, narrowly missing nearby homes in a residential area.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some family members of the trainee parachutists were at the airport and witnessed the devastating crash. He described the atmosphere at the scene as deeply emotional. A witness told Reuters that the aircraft was climbing normally at around 11:00am local time when the engine noise suddenly stopped, as if the engine had failed. The witness said there was no sign of fire or an explosion before the plane plunged to the ground.

Regional Prefect Yves Seguy said the single-engine aircraft crashed almost vertically onto a bicycle path near a shopping centre. He said the accident could have caused even greater loss of life if the plane had fallen just a few metres away.

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Authorities confirmed that the crash occurred in a populated area, but no one on the ground was injured. Media reports said the aircraft was registered in Germany. However, German authorities did not immediately comment on the reports.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash. It also remains unclear whether the extreme heat recorded in the region, including a record temperature in nearby Nancy a day earlier, played any role in the accident. Investigators have launched an inquiry to determine what caused the aircraft to crash so soon after take-off. More details are expected as the investigation progresses.