A skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said.

The aircraft suffered a malfunction and plunged "almost vertically" moments after departing from the Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of Nancy, according to Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.

The plane came down near a residential area close to the airfield. Officials said a disaster was narrowly averted as the crash occurred just metres away from homes.

According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the aircraft banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later.

Local newspaper L'Est Républicain reported that the victims included five skydiving instructors, five clients and the pilot.

The aircraft was identified as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, commonly used to transport freight, passengers and parachutists.

Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein said the passengers had been preparing for tandem skydives, in which an instructor and a first-time jumper descend together. He added that several family members and friends had gathered to watch the jump and witnessed the plane fall from the sky, leaving many in psychological shock.

Emergency services, including medical teams, firefighters, police and mental health specialists, were immediately deployed to the scene. Authorities also began collecting witness statements and providing psychological support to relatives of the victims.

A local resident told broadcaster BFM-TV that he heard what sounded like the aircraft's engine cutting out, followed by a loud crash. When he reached the site, he said there were no signs of life and that two bodies had been thrown several metres from the wreckage.

Police cordoned off the crash site as investigators sought to determine the cause of the accident.