A private Pilatus PC-12 plane crashed in the San Donato Milanese district on Sunday afternoon near Milan Linate airport. The YR-PDV went down near a metro station in a building that subsequently caught fire.

According to the first official information, eight people were killed in the serious accident. The exact number of victims has not yet been finalized. Six passengers are said to have been on board. According to the current state of information, these unfortunately did not survive.

The Italian authorities have stated, among other things, that the pilot was said to have been a German citizen. The co-pilot, who also died, is said to have been French. The small plane should have flown from Milan Linate to Olbia. A child is said to be among the victims.

The exact cause of the accident is unclear. The only thing that is certain is that the PC-12 took off from Linate Airport and immediately afterwards ran into such serious problems that the two pilots were unable to prevent the tragic crash. Eyewitnesses report that they saw flames on the engine. Furthermore, they describe the scenes as frightening and would have tried to provide help within the scope of their possibilities, primarily by calling the fire brigade and rescue.

The flames on the building were extinguished with fire trucks. In view of the first photos that are circulating, this is likely to be a total write-off. The residents could possibly have escaped an even bigger disaster, because there is a bus station in the immediate vicinity of the collapse site, but it is not in operation due to renovation work.