A plane carrying participants in a skydiving activity crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard, authorities said.
The Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefecture said the aircraft crashed after departing from Nancy-Essey Airport, prompting officials to activate the department’s operational command center.
The victims included five parachuting instructors, five novice jumpers preparing for tandem skydives, and the pilot. Prefect Yves Séguy told reporters the aircraft suffered a malfunction and “fell almost vertically,” narrowly missing a populated area.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he traveled to the crash site with Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, where they met with local officials and emergency responders. Nunez praised the coordinated response of firefighters, emergency personnel, police, gendarmerie, and civil security teams.
A medico-psychological emergency unit was activated shortly after the crash to support victims’ loved ones and those who witnessed the tragedy. Some family members waiting at the airport witnessed the crash, according to officials.
The investigation, directed by the Paris prosecutor’s office and assigned to the Air Transport Gendarmerie’s investigative unit, will determine the cause of the crash.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
