A skydiving plane has crashed in north-eastern France, killing all 11 people onboard, according to the region’s prefect.

The parachuting-school plane crashed near Nancy at 11am, said Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.

The pilot and 10 passengers – five ‌students and five instructors – died, the prefecture reported.

The plane suffered a malfunction and “fell almost vertically” after taking off from Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of Nancy, Séguy said.