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Plane crash at Luqa, Malta, airport kills five

The twin-propeller plane rose during takeoff and burst into flames.

By Ed Adamczyk

LUQA , Malta, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A plane crash at the Luqa, Malta airport Monday morning killed five people board, officials said.

The 19-seat twin-propeller plane, a U.S.-built Swearingen Metroliner, was heading for Misurata, Libya, when it took off from Malta International Airport, tipped to one side "and went straight into the ground," and eyewitness told the Times of Malta. Initial reports indicated the plane was leased to Frontex, the European Union's border security agency, but EU Foreign Affairs High Commissioner Federica Mogherini said in a Twitter message immediately after the accident that the plane "was not deployed by Frontex" and that no EU officials were involved.

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The airport confirmed no one aboard the plane survived the fiery crash.

Some of the burning wreckage was found on the airport's perimeter road, and another eyewitness said debris from the crash fell into a nearby armed forces of Malta barracks.

"It burst into flames immediately," the eyewitness said of the plane. "Very little of the plane was left, just some debris."

Flights to Malta were diverted to Sicily after the accident, and Malta's Bureau of Air Accident Investigation is expected to begin an examination of the incident.

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