Seven dead in Mallorca midair collision

Seven people, including a family of four Germans, onboard a helicopter and small plane were killed on Sunday in a midair collision on the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca.

The government of the Balearic Islands said the victims included a couple with their two children, along with the helicopter pilot, and the two passengers of the light aircraft. 

Local broadcaster IB3 said the collision took place at 1:20 p.m. local time (1120 UTC).

Read more: Mallorca aims for refined cocktails, not party tourism

The aircraft went down in a rural area near the town of Inca, authorities said.

Police and fire services were called to the scene as the plane went up in flames.

The plane crashed onto the grounds of a country estate and debris was found strewn across an old country road, Sebastia Oriol, head of security for the municipality of Inca, told IB3.

Speculation over victims' nationality

The helicopter was registered in Germany, police said.

Read more: Swimming in sewage: Mallorca and the refuse

IB3 posted a video of the wreckage to social media.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the crash.

Spain's caretaker prime minister Pedro Sanchez sent his condolences on Twitter to the victims' families.

Mallorca is one of four islands that make up the Balearics, which lie in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain's eastern coast.

The largest of the Balearics, Mallorca is a hugely popular summer holiday destination, especially with Spanish, German and British tourists.

Last year, the Balearics welcomed 13.8 million foreign visitors.

cw,mm/tj (AP, dpa, Reuters)

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