Eleven dead in France's worst private aviation crash

Eleven people have died after a civilian aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from an airfield in eastern France. The pilot and ten passengers—comprising five instructors and five first-time skydivers—were killed when the plane went down in the town of Tomblaine at around 11:00 local time. The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the incident, which French aviation authorities say is the deadliest private plane crash in the country's history, excluding military and commercial flights.

Half of the skydivers who died were nurses. Thierry Pechey, president of a local nursing organisation, told BFM that the group had decided to make their first jumps to relax amid the pressures of a searing heatwave. "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," he said. Their sudden deaths represent a tangible loss to a regional healthcare sector already operating under extreme weather strain.

The aircraft fell almost vertically, hitting the ground near the edge of the Nancy-Essey airfield. It came down dangerously close to a residential area and a shopping centre, narrowly avoiding nearby houses. "Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties," said Yves Seguy, the prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle.

The psychological toll on the ground was severe because relatives had gathered at the airfield to watch the first-time tandem jumps. Mathieu Klein, the mayor of nearby Nancy, confirmed that some victims died "in full view of their loved ones". Chaynesse Khirouni, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, said the families suffered "considerable psychological trauma". Medical and psychological support teams were rapidly deployed to the site.

Authorities have declined to speculate on the cause of the crash. An unnamed witness told Reuters he saw the plane veering sharply to the right before hearing the impact, noting that "something was clearly wrong". The witness attempted to help extinguish the wreckage, but stated: "We saw right away that it was over, that they had all died instantly."

Tomblaine Mayor Hervé Feron said the plane had fallen "in a completely unexplained manner". While an amber weather warning for high temperatures was active in the region on Sunday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has refused to draw conclusions before the official inquiry concludes.