Parachutists leap to safety but seven are killed as aircraft collide in mid-air

Seven people were killed when two planes carrying civilian parachutists rehearsing for an air show collided in mid-air on Thursday in Slovakia. The dead were among the 20 to 40 people on board but others survived by leaping from one of the aircraft with their parachutes open. Fifteen of the parachutists, who were training for this weekend’s air show in Slavnica, were still missing. Described as small “sport” aircraft, the planes collided at an altitude of 1,500m (5,000ft) near the town of Ilava, 150 km north of the Slovak capital Bratislava. Three helicopters were being used to reach the crash site, which was located in a fairly remote, hilly area near the border with the Czech Republic

I heard the crash and ran [to the site of the accident]. I saw one of the aircraft falling to the ground and people jumping from it

Crash witness

Europe slovakia aircraft