Christine Drews Sieger
Eleven people were killed after a small skydiving aircraft crashed near Nancy in eastern France.
Eleven people were killed on Sunday when a small aircraft operated by a skydiving school crashed in Tomblaine, near Nancy in eastern France.
According to Reuters, cited by NBC News, the pilot and all ten passengers were killed.
The aircraft was used by a local skydiving school. Those who died included both instructors and students.
Shortly after the crash, the Interior Ministry announced that the minister would visit the crash site.
Aircraft Plunged Vertically
The aircraft crashed in a densely populated area near a shopping center.
Preliminary information indicates that the aircraft encountered problems in the air before plunging straight down.
“Give or take a few meters, the accident could have caused additional casualties,” Seguy told broadcaster BFM, Reuters reported.
Investigation Underway
Authorities have not yet disclosed what caused the crash, and no information has been released regarding a possible technical failure.
The local prosecutor’s office declined to comment on Reuters’ request for information on Sunday.
Investigators will now work to establish the sequence of events and determine why the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, according to Reuters.
Sources: NBC News, Reuters, BFM
