11 killed as civilian plane crashes near Nancy in eastern France

Eleven people were killed when a civilian aircraft crashed near the eastern French city of Nancy on Sunday, local authorities said.

The aircraft went down in the town of Tomblaine, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, shortly after taking off from Nancy-Essey Airport, according to the prefecture, the French broadcaster BFM TV reported.

All 11 people on board died in the crash, including the pilot and two groups of five parachutists who were taking part in a skydiving session.

Thierry Pechey, head of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFMTV that the victims appeared to include independent nurses participating in what he described as an initiation event, alongside skydiving instructors.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is expected to travel to the crash site later Sunday, according to his office.

Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Seguy said he has activated the departmental operational centre to coordinate emergency services and monitor the response in real time.

Police urged the public to avoid the area around Rue Salvador Allende in Tomblaine to allow emergency responders and law enforcement unrestricted access to the crash site.