Three people died in the crash of a small aircraft at the airfield in Renneritz in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld on Sunday, according to police. Another person was seriously injured. The dead are the 55-year-old pilot and two passengers, as a police spokesman said according to information from the dpa news agency on site. In addition to the pilot, three young people between the ages of 14 and 17 were on board.
The injured person was taken by a rescue helicopter to a hospital in Halle. Further details about the victims were not known at first. The accident occurred at about 16.45. The Federal Aviation Office has taken over the investigation into the cause of the accident, according to police at the accident site.
The airfield belongs to a gliding club. According to dpa, the aircraft is a single-engine aircraft of Polish design. The police spokesman could not say whether the accident happened during take-off or landing. The accident site should remain closed until Monday.
