Nine people were killed when a small plane crashed near the town of Umea. The plane had parachutists aboard and crashed into a river in northern Sweden.
The aircraft crashed onto Storsandskär island, just 2 km from Umeå’s airport, in the delta of the Umeå river. A witnesses who said that they heard a loud ‘bang’ before the plane crashed into the ground.
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Train traffic in the area has been suspended, with emergency services working on the site. Fire brigades also arrived at the scene because the plane is reported to be full of kerosene; its wreck partly being on the shore.
Hans Ytterberg, director general of the National Board of Accident Investigation, said that he could not speculate about the cause of the disaster, but that the plane was not whole when it plunged to the ground about 300 miles north of Stockholm.
Based on the films that authorities have seen and the wreckage pieces that they have looked at, Ytterberg can conclude that parts of the plane had broken off in the air.
The plane did not have a flight data recorder, but devices belonging to the victims, like mobile phones and video cameras, could provide valuable information, Mr. Ytterberg said.
In a statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden expressed “great sorrow” about the crash. “My thoughts go to the victims and their families at this difficult time,” he said.
The pilot and the eight passengers all appeared to be Swedish citizens, with one holding dual United States citizenship, according to Ms. Axroth, the police spokeswoman.
ABC Flash Point News 2019.
