Spain Plane Crash Light Aircraft

Spain plane crash: Light aircraft believed to be carrying parachutists crashes killing six

A light aircraft believed to be carrying parachutists has crashed in southern Spain, killing all six people on board, emergency services said Saturday. The aircraft came down in a rural area near the town of Alcala de los Gazules in the province of Cadiz, Andalusia, on Friday evening.

The emergency services said in a statement that the plane was carrying five parachutists and a pilot. The parachutists were taking part in a skydiving competition but it is not known if they had jumped from the plane before it crashed. The plane crashed in a remote area and emergency services took several hours to reach the wreckage. The victims' bodies were recovered on Saturday morning. The cause of the crash is not yet known and an investigation is underway.

The victims have been named as: * Rafael Moreno, 45, pilot * Juan Carlos Jurado, 35, parachutist * Sergio Jurado, 32, parachutist * Juan Manuel Romero, 31, parachutist * Alejandro Romero, 29, parachutist * Jose Antonio Romero, 27, parachutist

All of the victims were from the same town, Rota, in the province of Cadiz. The mayor of Rota, Javier Ruiz, said that the town was "in mourning" following the tragedy. "These were all young people who were passionate about skydiving," he said. "Our thoughts are with their families and friends at this difficult time."

In a related development, a helicopter was dispatched to the scene of the crash to assist with the recovery of the victims' bodies. The helicopter was forced to make a landing in a field near the crash site after it was hit by lightning. The two people on board the helicopter were not injured and were able to walk away from the wreckage.

The crash is the second fatal air accident in Spain in less than a month. On August 9, a small plane crashed in the mountains of northern Spain, killing all nine people on board. The cause of that crash is still under investigation.