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Slovakia plane crash: Two aircraft in fatal mid-air collision near Bratislava Slovakia plane crash: Two aircraft in fatal mid-air collision near Bratislava
(35 minutes later)
Two aircraft have crashed in mid-air near the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, killing at least seven people.Two aircraft have crashed in mid-air near the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, killing at least seven people.
Officials were not immediately able to say what type of aircraft were involved or how many people were on board, according to a spokesperson for the Slovakian fire service. Described as small "sport" aircraft, the planes were carrying around 40 people on a parachuting trip when they collided at an altitude of 1,500m (5,000ft).
According to the Slovak TA3 news channel, the crash involved "sports planes", though there were no further details on manufacturer or size. Images from the scene broadcast on Slovakian TV showed the burnt-out wreckage of one of the planes near the village of Cerveny Kamen, around 30km outside the capital.
More details reports were carried by the Slovakian Markiza TV station, which included images purporting to show the burned-out wreck of an aircraft at the crash site. Officials from the Slovak air accident investigators agency said that preliminary reports suggested the two aircraft involved were L-410 twin-engine planes.
It reported that the planes had been carrying paratroopers conducting training exercises, and that one was carrying up to 40 people. Witnesses told the station that some were able to parachute free from the aircaft after the collision, which occurred at an altitude of around a kilometre. They said that some of the parachutists survived by jumping from one of the planes just before the collision happened.
Firefighters' spokeswoman Zuzana Farkasova said the incident occurred at 8.30am GMT on Thursday morning near the village of Cerveny Kamen, around 30km outside the capital. A spokesperson for the Slovakian fire service confirmed that seven people had been killed in the crash which occurred at around 8.30 GMT on Thursday morning.
Three helicopters were being used to reach the crash site, which was located in a fairly remote, hilly area near the border with the Czech Republic, according to a spokesperson for the rescue team.
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