A small aircraft belonging to a parachutist training school crashed on June 28 in Tomblaine, a town in northeastern France, killing everyone aboard, local officials said.
The prefecture reported that the pilot and all 10 passengers - comprising five students and five instructors - died in the accident. The French interior minister was reported to be on the way to the scene, according to the interior ministry.
Yves Seguy, the regional prefect, told broadcaster BFM that the aircraft appeared to have sustained damage before it plunged vertically to the ground. The crash took place in a built-up area near a shopping centre, raising immediate concern among local officials about the potential for additional casualties.
"Give or take a few meters and the accident could have caused collateral casualties," Seguy said.
Authorities emphasized the location of the impact - a densely occupied part of town adjacent to retail premises - while emergency services responded at the scene. The local prosecutor had not immediately replied to requests for comment at the time officials released the initial details.
The prefecture identified the aircraft as being affiliated with a parachutist school, and confirmed the makeup of the passengers as five students and five instructors in addition to the pilot. Beyond the immediate facts released by officials, investigators have not publicly provided a cause for the crash.
Officials have described visible damage to the aircraft prior to its vertical descent, but they have not outlined a sequence of mechanical or other failures. The lack of immediate comment from the local prosecutor indicates that formal investigative steps and possible public updates are pending.
The presence of the interior minister at the scene signals the national government's involvement in coordination with regional authorities. Local officials stressed how narrowly the incident avoided wider harm to people on the ground, given the site of impact close to a shopping centre.