France: Transport Minister Visits Crash Site as Probe Begins Into Fatal Plane Accident

France's Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot on Monday visited the site of an accident that claimed 11 lives after a plane carrying people on a skydiving trip crashed in the town of Tomblaine, in northeastern France.

According to Al Jazeera, the aircraft went down at 11am local time on Sunday, Yves Seguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, told reporters near the scene of the crash.

In a post on X, Tabarot said, "Deep emotion as I visited today, alongside Laurent Nunez, the site of the terrible accident that claimed the lives of 11 people and plunged entire families into mourning, together with the mobilized rescue services and the territory's elected officials.”

“The Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses visited the scene today and has opened an investigation to determine the precise circumstances of this tragic accident,” he added.

Seguy said emergency services responded immediately, adding that authorities were collecting statements from witnesses, according to Al Jazeera.

What do we know about the Tomblaine plane crash that killed 11 people?

Herve Feron, the mayor of Tomblaine, told French broadcaster BFMTV that no homes were hit. "There was no collateral damage, but unfortunately all the people who were inside died," he said, adding that the whole town was in mourning.

A technical investigation has been opened, with the Nancy deputy public prosecutor, Amaury Lacote, saying gendarmerie units specialising in air transport had begun examining the wreckage.

Five instructors and five independent nurses appeared to be among the casualties, CNN affiliate BFMTV cited Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Council of Independent Nurses as saying. The pilot also died in the crash.

A significant emergency response was mobilized, with police units and 50 firefighters deployed to the scene, according to local authorities.

In France, Seguy told BFMTV the plane crashed "almost vertically, right next to a housing development" on the edge of the airfield. "There were many witnesses at the scene of the accident," including relatives of the victims, he said, as per CNN.

(With inputs from ANI)