Three dead while an airplane crashes against a crowd in Germany

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EPA

A small plane crashed in central Germany, killing two women and one boy.

The single-engine Cessna struck on Sunday a group of people gathered near an airfield on Mount Wasserkuppe, near the town of Fulda in the state of Hesse.

The plane was trying to gain height after a failed landing and crashed at 15:45 (13:45 GMT) across an airport barrier.

A police statement said five people were injured, including four on board the plane.

Police are still working to identify the three victims, the statement said, although local media reports that the boy could have been as young as 10 years old.

The 56-year-old pilot and three passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. An eyewitness suffered a serious shock.

The weather was apparently lenient at the time and the cause of the accident is not yet known. Police investigate.

Emergency services are on the scene, which have been cordoned off.

Prime Minister Hesse Volker Bouffier and Interior Minister Peter Beuth say they are "deeply touched" by the accident. on the Twitter page of the State Chancery and thanked the emergency services for their commitment.

The device would have been privately owned.

The Wasserkuppe mountain is the highest peak of the Rhön Mountains and is popular among light aircraft and glider enthusiasts.