Skydiving plane crashes in northeastern France, killing 11
Group of nurses on first tandem jump die in full view of loved ones as aircraft plunges ‘straight down’
A skydiving plane crashed on Sunday in northeastern France, killing all 11 people on board – among them a group of nurses – local authorities said, the country’s deadliest ever general aviation accident.
The crash in the town of Tomblaine killed five instructors, five students and the pilot, said Yves Seguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.
The students were nurses, according to the head of Meurthe-et-Moselle’s nursing council, Thierry Pechey.
“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.
Mayor of the nearby city of Nancy, Mathieu Klein, said the victims “died in full view of their loved ones, who were preparing to film the tandem skydives”.
Medical and psychological support teams were caring for relatives of the victims who were present, as well as other witnesses, according to local authorities.
