Members of the French Air Transport Gendarmerie work at the site of a plane crash in Tomblaine, France, June 28, 2026. REUTERS/Christian HartmannChristian Hartmann/Reuters
Eleven individuals perished on Sunday when an aircraft carrying a contingent of skydivers met with disaster in northeastern France, according to officials.
Sunday’s unfortunate incident took place near the municipality of Tomblaine in France’s Meurthe-et-Moselle department, as stated in a social media update from French Transport Minister Phillipe Tabarot.
This photograph displays the debris of a skydiving aircraft following its crash at Tomblaine, on the outskirts of Nancy, eastern France, June 28, 2026, resulting in the demise of all 11 occupants.Jean-christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images
"A dreadful catastrophe in Meurthe-et-Moselle, where an aircraft transporting participants in a skydiving venture went down near Tomblaine. The loss of life is exceptionally high: 11 individuals lost their lives," declared Tabarot in the post. "I offer my most heartfelt sympathies to their families."
Rescuers and security personnel stand next to the wreckage of a skydiving aircraft after it crashed at Tomblaine, on the outskirts of Nancy, eastern France, June 28, 2026, killing 11 people aboard.Jean-christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images
The pilot of the aircraft and all 10 passengers on board perished in the disaster, government representatives confirmed. Five of the deceased were novice skydivers and five were experienced instructors, according to officials.
Yves Sguy, a representative for the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, informed journalists that the crash happened shortly after the plane departed from the Nancy-Essey Airport located on the outskirts of the city of Nancy, as reported by the Associated Press.
Members of the French Air Transport Gendarmerie work at the site of a plane crash in Tomblaine, France, June 28, 2026. REUTERS/Christian HartmannChristian Hartmann/Reuters
Sguy, who holds the position of prefect for the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, stated that the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure which caused it to descend rapidly towards the ground "almost vertically," according to the Associated Press.
The aircraft impacted the ground in close proximity to an inhabited zone, at the periphery of a built-up area near the airstrip, Sguy conveyed to the French news channel BFM-TV.
"If it had happened merely a few dozen meters further, the incident might have resulted in additional casualties," Sguy commented.
This crash occurred following a previous incident where a skydiving plane crashed on June 14 in Butler, Missouri, leading to the fatalities of the pilot and eleven skydivers, authorities have stated.
The Missouri mishap transpired shortly after the aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750, had taken off from the Butler Memorial Airport, as Butler County Sheriff Chad Anderson disclosed at a press conference on the day of the event.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com