Dashcam captures moment plane crashes in Malta, killing five
Video has surfaced of the moment a plane crashed at Malta Airport, tragically killing all five people on board.
WARNING, DISTRESSING FOOTAGE AND PHOTOS BELOW
Laurent Azzopardi filmed the dashcam footage as he travelled to work on Monday.
The Fairchild Metroliner, a twin-propellered aircraft, crashed on take-off about 7.20am local time, at the island’s main airport in Luqa.
‘We can confirm that the five crew on board the aircraft are deceased. Our thoughts are with families of people involved in this accident,’ Malta International Airport said in a statement.
“An investigation is currently ongoing and we are working with all the authorities to provide them with any assistance necessary.”
The crash has been deemed the nation’s worst peacetime air accident, airport sources and witnesses say.
Airport officials initially said the plane was believed to be carrying officials from EU border agency Frontex.
The organisation put out a statement saying it had not deployed the plane, but stopped short of saying whether its staff were on board.
The plane was heading for Misrata in Libya, airport officials told Reuters.
Television footage showed flames rising from wreckage near the runway, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
All flights to and from Malta International Airport were halted, The Times of Malta said on its website.
All five victims of the crash were French, a military source at the airport said.
Frontex later confirmed that none of its staff were involved in the incident.
Federica Mogherini, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the EU Commission, tweeted, saying that no EU officials were involved in the crash.
