Eleven people were killed after a civilian aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near the city of Nancy in eastern France on Sunday, according to local authorities.
The aircraft went down in the town of Tomblaine, located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, just moments after departing from Nancy-Essey Airport. Emergency services rushed to the scene as authorities launched a large-scale response to the fatal crash.
All 11 people on board lost their lives, including the pilot and two groups of five skydivers who were taking part in a parachuting session. No survivors were reported.
Thierry Pechey, head of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Independent Nurses Association, told BFM TV that several of the victims were believed to be independent nurses participating in an introductory skydiving programme alongside their instructors.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is expected to visit the crash site later on Sunday, while Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Seguy confirmed that a departmental operations centre had been activated to coordinate emergency services and oversee rescue and response efforts in real time.
Police have urged members of the public to stay away from the area around Rue Salvador Allende in Tomblaine to allow rescue teams and investigators to carry out their work without disruption.
The tragic accident has sent shockwaves through the local community, with investigators now working to determine what caused the aircraft to crash only moments after leaving the runway.
