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Everyone on board a civilian aircraft that crashed in north-eastern France on Sunday has been killed, according to French media reports citing rescue services.<\/p>\n
The victims included the pilot and two groups of five skydivers each. The aircraft had taken off from Nancy-Essey airfield. Authorities said a wide area around the crash site in Tomblaine had been cordoned off.<\/p>\n
Police, firefighters and emergency services were deployed in large numbers to support recovery efforts and help establish the cause of the crash.<\/p>\n
The public prosecutor\u2019s office has opened an investigation.<\/p>\n
‘Grim toll’<\/strong><\/p>\n In a post on X, France’s Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, spoke of a “particularly grim toll.” It is said to be one of the deadliest accidents in general aviation in France.<\/p>\n Tomblaine’s mayor, Herv\u00e9 F\u00e9ron, told the newspaper L’Est R\u00e9publicain that the aircraft crashed near a residential area – just a few dozen metres from the airfield’s runway.<\/p>\n The president of the regional association of liberal care workers in Meurthe-et-Moselle, said some of the victims may have been self-employed care workers. It appears that a trial skydive had been organized, with both care workers and instructors on board.<\/p>\n According to the president of the national skydiving association, Pierre-Yves Eug\u00e8ne, the aircraft did not belong to the local skydiving club. He told the television channel BFMTV that the aircraft was a Pilatus model with German registration. He emphasized that it was a small aircraft requiring an inspection every two years.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department also spoke of a possible technical fault. The aircraft “crashed vertically,” Yves S\u00e9guy told the broadcaster. There had been no indication of an emergency landing.<\/p>\n The cause of the accident remained unclear, however. The prefect described it as a stroke of luck that the aircraft crashed near residential buildings without killing or injuring anyone else.<\/p>\n Some relatives of the victims were nearby and witnessed the crash. They had been at the scene to accompany the skydivers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe aircraft involved in the accident was registered in Germany<\/h2>\n
Aircraft crashed vertically<\/h2>\n