11 people were killed in a plane crash in France's Tomblaine town near Nancy city, reported news agency Reuters.
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The plane belonged to a parachutist school. The pilot and all 10 passengers, five students and five instructors, died in the accident, the local prefecture told the agency.
The French interior minister was on his way to the scene, the interior ministry said. Local media said that the aircraft was carrying a group of people on a skydiving trip.
"There were no bystanders among the victims," he added during a press conference.
He said medical and psychological support teams had been deployed to assist the victims' relatives who were at the airfield, as well as other people who witnessed the crash.
A source close to the investigation said the victims were part of a group of nursing students.
The aircraft, which was registered in Germany, crashed into a grassy area near the runway at Nancy-Essey Aerodrome in eastern France. The crash site was located close to a residential neighbourhood and two roads, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. The cause of the crash has not yet been established.
Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in Nancy, said a technical investigation had been launched to determine what led to the incident.
Police urged members of the public on X to "strictly avoid" the area around the airport to ensure emergency responders could carry out rescue and investigation work without obstruction.
French interior minister Laurent Nunez was expected to visit the crash site later in the day, according to his office.
“We are deploying all available resources,” he said, including emergency medical teams, fire services, police and mental health support for the victims' families.
A local resident, identified as John Curaku by BFM-TV, told the broadcaster that he was in his garden when he heard what sounded like a plane's engine stopping, immediately followed by a bang.
He said he went to the crash site and “there were no signs of life,” with two of the bodies thrown a few meters (yards) from the plane.
