The plane had several people on board when it crashed near the European airport.

General view of the airport

A plane crashed near an airport in France (Image: GOOGLE STREET VIEW)

Three people - two women and a man - have been confirmed dead by emergency services following the crash of a small tourist aircraft in France. The incident happened on Wednesday morning, shortly before 11am local time (10am BST) near Chambéry Airport. Witnesses said they saw the aircraft drifting sideways for several minutes over the Leysse River. "We heard a huge noise that was nothing like that of a normal plane, then it crashed," said a local resident.

Around 20 firefighters, four members of the Emergency Medical Services (Smur), and about fifteen gendarmes are at the scene, it is understood. Extrication operations are occurring. Chambéry Aiport is a small international airport near Chambéry, a commune in Savoy. It is the closest airport to the Tarentaise Valley, and France’s most popular ski resorts, like Meribel, Courchevel, Tignes and Val d’Isere.

Le Dauphine reports that officials have confirmed the deaths of two women and one man in the crash.

The Savoie prefecture, Vanina Nicoli, said: "The firefighters from the Savoie departmental fire and rescue service, the SAMU (emergency medical services) and the Chambéry air transport gendarmerie brigade, and units from the national gendarmerie group are currently on site."

She added that a medical-psychological emergency unit is "being activated" in order to support the victims' relatives, as well as those who witnessed the accident.

The prefecture also said that "the precise circumstances of the accident are unknown at this time and may be determined as part of the judicial investigation", and extended her "sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims."

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A video of the crash, which appears to have been filmed on a camera attached to a building in the area, has been shared.

It shows the plane suddenly appearing into frame, crashing.

A wing hits the ground first, just before the nose of the aircraft as it rolls.

"There are deceased people ," the Chambéry prosecutor's office confirmed to ICI Pays de Savoie.

A gendarmerie investigation has been opened to shed light on the circumstances of this accident, it has been reported.