Covered victims’ bodies and pieces of the wrecked plane are seen after it crashed into a field near Fernelmont, Belgium.
Reuters/AFP/Brussels
A small Pilatus plane carrying a group of skydivers crashed in Belgium yesterday, killing all 11 people on board despite the attempts of several to jump to safety, local authorities said.
The plane took off from a small airport near Namur, central Belgium, carrying members of a local skydiving club, and crashed 20 minutes later near Fernelmont, southeast of Brussels.
“According to witnesses, a part of the plane broke off, it nosedived and crashed into the ground like a stone,” Jean-Claude Nihoul, mayor of Fernelmont, told Reuters.
He said three of the passengers had tried to save themselves by jumping from the plane but they were too late.
All of the people on board were Belgian.
“The plane took off from Temploux aerodrome … and crashed later in a field. All those on board are unfortunately dead. The toll is 11 victims,” Nihoul said.
He added it was “very difficult” to be more precise given the state of the aircraft which was “unrecognisable” after being “burned up”.
The small plane came down around 250m from houses near the village of Marchovelette, 10km from the southern city of Namur, the mayor added.
Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo said he “learned with sadness of the tragic plane accident near Namur”.
He offered his “most sincere condolences to the families and relatives” of the victims.
“I just saw a plane lose its right wing in mid-flight and crash. I heard a massive ‘bang’ towards the south of Marchovelette. I didn’t see anyone escape with a parachute,” one witness told local television channel RTL.
Firefighters said the accident took place just before 4pm local time (1400 GMT).
Another local witness described seeing the aircraft fly over him with “pieces falling off it”.
“Then the plane’s nose dropped and it crashed 200 metres further on,” the witness added.
