A skydiving plane crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board in one of the country's deadliest light aircraft accidents, authorities said.
The aircraft, registered in Germany and belonging to a skydiving club, crashed near the runway of the Nancy-Essey aerodrome in the eastern town of Tomblaine, on the outskirts of Nancy, shortly after takeoff.
The plane suffered a malfunction and "fell almost vertically" soon after taking off, Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, said.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, the plane banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later near houses. Flight-tracking sites identified the aircraft as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6 used to transport freight, passengers and skydivers.
The crash killed five parachuting instructors, five clients and the pilot. According to a source close to the investigation, the clients were a group of nurses.
The aircraft came down in a grassy area on the edge of a built-up neighbourhood near the airfield, close to a residential area and two roads.
"Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties," Séguy told broadcaster BFM-TV.
"There were no bystanders among the victims," he said later at a press conference.
A local resident, identified as John Curaku by BFM-TV, said he was in his garden when he heard what sounded like a plane engine stopping, immediately followed by a loud bang.
He said he went to the crash site and "there were no signs of life," with two of the bodies thrown a few metres from the aircraft.
Emergency services, including medical teams, firefighters and police, responded immediately and cordoned off the wreckage. Authorities also deployed psychological support teams for relatives of the victims and witnesses to the crash.
"We are deploying all available resources," Séguy said.
He added that the crash had shocked those who witnessed it.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Authorities have begun collecting witness statements, while a technical investigation has been opened, according to Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in Nancy.
Police urged people on X to "strictly avoid" the area around the airport to allow emergency services access.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez was expected to visit the scene later in the day, according to his staff.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)