A skydiving plane crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said.

The plane suffered a malfunction and “fell almost vertically” after taking off from the Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of the city of Nancy, the region’s prefect, Yves Seguy, said.

It crashed on the edge of a built-up area near the airfield, he told broadcaster BFM-TV.

“Had it occurred just a few dozen metres away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” Seguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, said.

The plane belonged to a skydiving club and was taking part in a parachute jump, he said.

Emergency services responded immediately and were providing psychological support to several relatives of the victims, he said. Authorities were also collecting witness statements, he said.

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