Photo: Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock.com Authorities in France and Saudi Arabia are investigating two separate aviation accidents that occurred on Sunday, with emergency services responding to incidents near the French city of Nancy and in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
In France, a civilian aircraft travelling from Nancy-Essey Airport crashed in the town of Tomblaine, just outside Nancy in northeastern France. Emergency services were quickly deployed to the scene following the accident.
The Prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Yves Séguy, announced that the department's operational emergency centre had been activated, bringing together police, firefighters, medical teams and other emergency agencies to coordinate the response and monitor developments in real time.
According to a statement by French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, at least 11 people were killed in the disaster.
According to Tabarot, the plane was carrying skydivers. "A terrible drama in Meurthe-et-Moselle, where a plane carrying skydivers crashed near Tomblaine. The human toll is particularly heavy: 11 people lost their lives. I express my deepest condolences to their families and relatives," he wrote. He also announced that he would arrive at the crash site with French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
Photo: ShutterstockIn a separate incident several thousand kilometres away, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed that a helicopter operated by the national oil company Saudi Aramco crashed in the Ras Tanura area on Sunday evening.
According to the ministry, the helicopter went down at around 6 p.m. local time, killing all 14 people on board. Officials said all of the victims were Saudi citizens.
The ministry announced that an investigation has been launched in cooperation with the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the crash.
In a statement, the Ministry of Energy expressed its condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, saying it shares their grief during this difficult time.
The two accidents are unrelated, but both remain under active investigation as authorities work to establish the circumstances surrounding each incident.
Earlier in the month, we reported on a Piper Cherokee crashing in a wooded area near Bowie, Maryland. A few days earlier, a skydiving aircraft that was carrying 12 people crashed shortly after departing a Missouri airport.