3 killed as small plane crashes into field in western Germany

Three people were killed Monday when a small plane crashed onto a field in western Germany, and no one on board survived, police said.

The Cessna 172 went down around 11.20 am local time near the village of Gerderath in Erkelenz, North Rhine-Westphalia, after running into difficulty. “The aircraft was carrying three people. All three died in the crash,” a police spokesman said.

According to Bild newspaper, the four-seat plane took off in the morning from an area north of Utrecht in the Netherlands and later entered German airspace near the A52 highway. Shortly afterward, the aircraft crashed into a field and was completely destroyed.

Police released no names or other details about the victims. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and an investigation was ongoing.