A skydiving plane crashed in northeastern France on Sunday morning, killing all 11 people on board. The aircraft, which belonged to a parachutist school, crashed at 11 a.m. in the town of Tomblaine near the city of Nancy.
The victims included the pilot and 10 passengers, consisting of five instructors and five students. Mayor Mathieu Klein stated that the victims died in full view of their loved ones, who were preparing to film the tandem skydives.
According to Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, the plane dropped out of the sky suddenly in the immediate vicinity of the Nancy-Essey airfield. While nobody on the ground was hurt, police urged the public to strictly avoid the area around the airport.
Emergency services provided psychological support to several relatives of the victims while authorities collected witness statements. A French deputy public prosecutor has opened a technical investigation as the cause of the incident was not immediately clear.