Deadly plane crash outside Portugal supermarket
April 17, 2017The light aircraft reportedly landed on a delivery truck next to a supermarket in the town of Tires shortly after noon local time on Monday.
Rescue workers reported five fatalities, including the Swiss pilot and three French passengers. A truck driver, who was delivering goods to the cargo bay of the Lidl supermarket, was also killed.
The plane - which was headed for the French city of Marseille - took off from a the Cascais Aerodrome just outside Tires, which lies some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) west of Lisbon. It was only said to have flown about 2 kilometers (a little over a mile) when it hit the ground.
At least one witness said the plane had exploded in midair.
Several vehicles caught fire, with a large plume of smoke sent rising into the air. The plane is believed to have been registered in Switzerland.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited to the site, which was also attended by more than 50 rescue workers.
rc/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)