Brussels, Oct 20 (IANS): A small plane carrying 10 skydivers and a pilot crashed near Fernelmont city in Belgium Saturday, killing all people on board.
The plane crashed minutes after taking off from an airport near Namur. The victims were participating in a birthday celebration, reported Xinhua citing local reports.
"It seems that the plane lost a wing in mid-flight, and it then went into a spin," Namur mayor Maxime Prevot told media.
The exact cause of the accident was being ascertained.
Meanwhile, rescuers found three open parachutes on the ground, suggesting that three people had tried to escape the falling Swiss-built Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter. But they were too late, said Fernelmont mayor Jean-Claude Nihoul.
Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who visited the site of the crash, said his thoughts were with the families of the victims. Belgian King Philippe also visited the scene of the accident.