Tragedy Strikes French Skydiving: 11 Killed in Plane Crash
Tragedy Strikes French Skydiving: 11 Killed in Plane Crash
A skydiving trip turned tragic in eastern France as a civilian aircraft crashed, killing all 11 onboard. Relatives witnessed the devastating incident near Nancy. Read more about this heartbreaking event.
Eleven people have tragically died after a civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine, located in eastern France. The incident, which occurred around 11:00 local time (10:00 BST), claimed the lives of the pilot and all 10 passengers, including five experienced instructors and five individuals who were preparing for their very first skydiving experience.
The plane, which belonged to a parachutist school, had just taken off from the nearby Nancy-Essey airfield when it suddenly went down. The Paris prosecutor's office has since launched a full investigation to determine the cause of this devastating accident.
Adding to the profound sorrow, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez revealed that some of the victims' relatives were present at the airfield and witnessed the crash as they gathered to watch the tandem jumps. Mathieu Klein, the mayor of Nancy, described the heartbreaking scene, noting that some victims died "in full view of their loved ones." Chaynesse Khirouni, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, highlighted the "considerable psychological trauma" suffered by these family members.
Nuñez, who visited the crash site, spoke of "very strong emotion" and a "great solidarity" among those offering support to the victims' families. Medical and psychological support teams have been deployed to assist the relatives and other witnesses affected by the traumatic event.
Officials indicated that the plane crashed near the edge of the airfield, alarmingly close to a residential area and a shopping center. Yves Seguy, the prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, stated that the aircraft narrowly missed hitting nearby houses, remarking, "Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties." He told French broadcaster BFM that the plane fell "almost vertically, in the immediate vicinity of a housing estate."
In a poignant detail, Thierry Pechey, president of a local nursing organization, shared with BFM that half of the skydivers who perished were nurses. He explained that they were "colleagues who had decided to go on a first skydiving jump, no doubt to unwind, as we're going through a difficult time with the heatwave." This crash marks one of the deadliest private plane accidents in France in recent memory.
