Eleven people, including a pilot and 10 parachutists, were killed when a small plane crashed in the northeastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, narrowly missing nearby homes, local officials and a witness said.
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 said. The plane went down shortly after take-off, officials said, and French media reported the trainees were a group of nurses.
Yves Seguy, the regional prefect, told BFM the aircraft plunged vertically to the ground. The crash occurred in a residential area near a shopping center, with the wreckage of the single-engine plane sitting on a bike path.
Séguy, told broadcaster BFM the aircraft appeared to suffer damage before plunging vertically to the ground. The crash occurred in a built-up area near a shopping center.
"Give or take a few meters and the accident could have caused collateral casualties," Seguy said.
A witness who declined to be identified told Reuters the plane was climbing at around 11:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) when the engine noise suddenly stopped, as if it had cut out. He said he saw no fire, explosion or other visible sign of a problem before the crash.
Media reports said the aircraft was registered in Germany. Germany's foreign ministry did not immediately comment.
It was not immediately clear if the extreme heat played a role in the incident, with the highest temperature ever recorded in Nancy - the city near Tomblaine - one day earlier.
The local prosecutor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The French interior minister and transport minister were on their way to the scene, the interior ministry said.