Tourist plane sinks in sea off France after engine failure
A pilot landed his tourist plane in choppy waters off southern France on Sunday after the aircraft's engine broke down, with all occupants surviving unharmed, firefighters said.
The Cessna 177 touched down 600 metres (1,968 feet) off the coast near the Mediterranean resort of Frejus shortly before 10am.
The local fire service said the pilot chose the location to "avoid the beach, where there were already a lot of holidaymakers".
"To pull that off, you need a lot of technical ability and a bit of luck," a spokesman said.
French news channel BFMTV on Sunday afternoon tweeted images of the plane wreckage in the sea, prior to the aircraft sinking.
"Emergency landing in Fréjus: the impressive images of the rescue of the plane's passengers," it reported.
Amerrissage d'urgence à Fréjus: les images impressionnantes du sauvetage des passagers de l'avionhttps://t.co/hZEG5uFWpt pic.twitter.com/ieBs3jDvPY
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) July 30, 2023
Firefighters rescued two women and one man, who escaped unharmed but were shaken up.
The plane sank, although no pollution has been detected in the sea so far.
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The Cessna 177 touched down 600 metres (1,968 feet) off the coast near the Mediterranean resort of Frejus shortly before 10am.
The local fire service said the pilot chose the location to "avoid the beach, where there were already a lot of holidaymakers".
"To pull that off, you need a lot of technical ability and a bit of luck," a spokesman said.
French news channel BFMTV on Sunday afternoon tweeted images of the plane wreckage in the sea, prior to the aircraft sinking.
"Emergency landing in Fréjus: the impressive images of the rescue of the plane's passengers," it reported.
Amerrissage d'urgence à Fréjus: les images impressionnantes du sauvetage des passagers de l'avionhttps://t.co/hZEG5uFWpt pic.twitter.com/ieBs3jDvPY
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) July 30, 2023
Firefighters rescued two women and one man, who escaped unharmed but were shaken up.
The plane sank, although no pollution has been detected in the sea so far.
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