Milan, Oct 4 (IANS): Eight people died when a small private airplane crashed into a building near the Italian city of Milan, according to a fire department official.

The official in San Donato Milanese, a suburb in the city, told Xinhua news agency that a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft crashed on Sunday into a two-floor building that was being renovated, killing the pilot, co-pilot, and six passengers, including a child.

Andrea Checchi, mayor of San Donato, called the crash "horrifying".

According to news reports, none of the victims were Italian.

Shortly after the flight took off from Milan's Linate Airport, the pilot issued a distress call shortly, according to local media reports.

Citing witness accounts, the reports said that the aircraft engine was in flames as it descended, with some pieces of the plane falling off while it was still in air.

Tiziana Siciliano, the public prosecutor in Milan, has announced to open an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

According to news reports, Siciliano also revealed that the black box, a heavily-protected recording device airplanes are required to carry and that is often a key part of investigations into air disasters, had been safely recovered.