A plane has crashed in Malta, killing all five people on board in the country’s worst peacetime air disaster.
The light aircraft went down during take-off from Malta International Airport at around 7.20am local time (6.20am BST) on Monday morning.
A witness told the Times of Malta newspaper the propeller plane suddenly tipped to its right side and “went straight down to the ground”.
Footage taken from another plane on the tarmac showed the wreckage burning in a field, sending a huge plume of black smoke into the air as passengers could be heard crying.
Edward De Gaetano, an actor, was on the flight waiting to take off for London when he witnessed the aftermath of the crash.
“We were about to take off, moments before we did from our windows we could see a massive explosion – at first we had no idea what caused it,” he said.
“We quickly realised an aircraft had crash landed. That is when everyone got a bit anxious.”
Mr De Gaetano said everything seemed “very normal” before the disaster, adding: “There was a second explosion and I thought ‘oh my god this is not just a fire’. We are all a bit stunned.”
Another video taken from a car showed the aircraft plummeting at an angle from low altitude, missing nearby houses and roads before exploding into a huge fireball on impact.
Airport officials said the flight was heading for the city of Misrata in Libya and there was no immediate confirmation of the nationality of the victims.
“We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased,” a spokesperson for Malta International Airport said. “Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident.
“An investigation is currently ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary.”
She described the incident as an “accident upon take-off”.
Local reports initially said the twin-propeller Fairchild Metroliner was carrying officials from the EU border agency, Frontex, but a spokesperson later said no staff were on board.
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