A skydiving aircraft crashed shortly after departing from an airfield near Nancy in northeastern France, resulting in the deaths of all 11 people on board, including the pilot, instructors, and trainees.

Authorities reported that the plane experienced a sudden technical failure and went into a near-vertical descent before striking the ground close to the airport, limiting any risk to surrounding areas.

The passengers were reportedly a group of nursing colleagues who had gathered for a tandem skydiving experience.

Emergency responders arrived quickly at the scene and later provided psychological assistance to both relatives of the victims and witnesses, The Guardian has reported.

France’s interior minister was traveling to the crash site as investigators began working to determine what caused the fatal accident.