Eleven people were killed on Sunday after a plane carrying skydivers crashed in the northeastern French town of Tomblaine, regional authorities said.
The aircraft, carrying 11 people, went down at around 11am local time during a skydiving session, according to Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region where the crash occurred, reports CNN.
The victims included the pilot, while five instructors and five independent nurses were also believed to have died, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported, citing Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Council of Independent Nurses.
Authorities launched a major emergency operation, deploying police officers and 50 firefighters to the crash site.
The accident came only weeks after a skydiving aircraft crashed shortly after take-off in western Missouri, killing 12 people and reigniting debate over the regulation of skydiving planes.
Speaking to BFMTV, Séguy said the aircraft crashed “almost vertically, right next to a housing development” on the edge of the airfield.
“There were many witnesses at the scene of the accident,” including relatives of the victims, he said.
“We are awaiting the arrival of the forensic team to conduct the standard investigation,” Séguy said. The regional official also said the French interior minister would visit the scene on Sunday.
“We stand together with all involved, emergency services and all the elected officials around me,” Séguy added. “Our thoughts are with the victims and with their loved ones.”
They had all died instantly
A witness who was driving when the crash happened told Reuters that he saw the aircraft climbing before it suddenly banked to the right.
“Something was clearly wrong. By the time I reached the roundabout, circled back and parked near the fire truck, a man was already on the scene trying to put out the flames,” the witness, who did not provide his name, said.
“We saw right away that it was over, that they had all died instantly. There was no movement, and it was clear the impact had been too violent for there to be any survivors,” he added.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the crash as a “terrible tragedy” with a “particularly high” death toll. He also confirmed in a post on X that he would travel to Meurthe-et-Moselle on Sunday afternoon.
