One dead, another missing in small plane crash in northwestern Germany

At least one person was killed when a small plane crashed into a single-family home in northwestern Germany, media reports said Saturday.

Firefighters and police in the town of Ganderkesee were still searching for a second person believed to have been on board the aircraft. The roof was searched using a turntable ladder.

Initially, the deceased person could not be recovered from the aircraft. The person's identity remains unclear. The German Press Agency (dpa) cited police as saying the rescue and recovery operations were extremely complex and lasted several hours.

Around 11.00 am (0900GMT) on Saturday, the fire department, along with other emergency medical and police units, was called to the scene of the plane crash. For reasons that remain unclear, the aircraft lost altitude, the fire department said. It crashed into the roof of a single-family home in a residential area near Bremen.

According to reports, the residents were not at home at the time of the crash. No other injuries were reported.

Residents were evacuated from their homes within a 100-meter radius of the scene. Police said this was a precautionary measure. They said there was no danger to the general public. For safety reasons, the power supply to the street was also temporarily cut off.