11 Dead After Skydiving Plane Crashes Near Shopping Center in Eastern France
Eleven fatalities confirmed after aircraft goes down near Nancy.
TOMBLAINE, France — A plane carrying a skydiving group crashed near a commercial district in eastern France on Sunday morning, killing all 11 people on board, local authorities said.
The aircraft, which had just departed from the Nancy-Essey airport, went down around 11:00 a.m. in the town of Tomblaine, located on the outskirts of Nancy. Officials confirmed the fatalities included the pilot, five skydiving instructors, and five students who were reportedly preparing for tandem jumps.
The plane came down on a road adjacent to an Auchan supermarket. While the crash occurred near a busy shopping area, local officials noted that the aircraft did not strike any homes or buildings on the ground. Emergency services and security forces cordoned off the perimeter, and the public was advised to stay away from the site to allow recovery operations to proceed.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced he would travel to the scene later Sunday. A formal investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash, which remains unknown.
The local prefect arrived at the site shortly after the accident to coordinate the response alongside representatives from the prosecutor’s office and emergency medical services. The Nancy-Essey airport, where the flight originated, is a regional airfield frequently used for light aircraft and recreational aviation in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
