8 skydivers, 1 pilot killed in airplane crash in Sweden

New Delhi: In a tragic incident, all nine people aboard an airplane outside Orebro, Sweden, were found dead on Thursday, Reuters quoted Swedish police as saying. "It’s a very severe accident. Everyone on board the crashed plane has died,” the police wrote on their website. 

The small aircraft, a DHC-2 Turbo Beaver, crashed and killed eight skydivers and one pilot. It crashed near the runway at Orebro airport shortly after takeoff and caught fire at impact, the police said. 

Expressing grief at the incident, Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven wrote on Twitter, "It is with great sadness and sorrow that I have received the tragic information about the plane crash in Orebro,"

"My thoughts are with the victims, their families and loved ones in this very difficult time,” he added. 

This incident comes as a stark reminder for Sweden which witnessed an eerily similar accident in 2019. Nine people had died in northern Sweden when a plane carrying skydivers crashed shortly after takeoff. As per the crash investigation, the plane had been improperly loaded.

(With agency inputs)