24 October 2016•Update: 24 October 2016
By Omer Aydin
PARIS
Five French officials were killed when a small passenger plane crashed at Malta International Airport on Monday, leaving no survivors, the Maltese prime minister said.
“Following with all competent authorities developments on crash of small aircraft off Malta airport. Casualties confirmed - JM,” Joseph Muscat tweeted.
He added: “Aircraft which crashed after takeoff part of France customs surveillance op against illicit trafficking. Remains of 5 French nationals found.”
The prime minister said the flight was registered as local. It was bound for the Libyan coastal town of Misurata.
“Official information, footage + eyewitnesses inc 3 soldiers at Safi barracks, 2 commercial airline pilots point at no explosion prior to impact,” Muscat said on Twitter.
The French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said three of the dead were defense officials.
“Three French Defense Ministry officials and two crewmen were killed after a small plane crashed at Malta International Airport on Monday, leaving no survivors,” he said in a statement.
He confirmed that the plane was on a surveillance mission over the Mediterranean.
The light aircraft went down shortly after takeoff for reasons unknown, the Times of Malta news website reported. The site carried photograph of the wreckage with flames and smoke coming from it.
“At 7.20 a.m. [0520GMT] a Fairchild Metroliner with five crew members aboard was involved in an aircraft accident,” a statement on the airport’s website said. “The investigation by the relevant authorities is still underway.”
The airport has been reopened, albeit on operational slowdown, to allow flights to land and take off, it said.
Initial reports said that EU officials had been on board but EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Twitter that no EU staff had been involved.
