Emergency responders are on the scene in eastern France after a civilian aircraft crashed near the Tomblaine airport on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board.
The flight, which local media reported was carrying a group for a skydiving excursion, claimed the lives of the pilot, five instructors, and five students.
As recovery efforts began, the French Ministry of the Interior confirmed that Interior Minister Laurent Nunez was en route to the site, while local police issued an immediate warning to the public to “strictly avoid” the area surrounding the airport.
The incident marks the second major skydiving-related aviation disaster in a fortnight, following a similar accident in the United States that left 12 people dead near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, Missouri.
In the aftermath of that mid-June crash, the Missouri State Highway Patrol used social media to coordinate the response, announcing that “troopers are on scene assisting the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office of a Fatal Plane Crash near the Butler Memorial Airport.”
Authorities later updated the public with the grim news that “at this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished,” with Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing later confirming the flight’s connection to a local skydiving trip.
