Tragic scenes in Malta, as a twin-prop plane has crashed immediately after takeoff, exploding into a giant fireball.

From the Guardian:

A small passenger aircraft has crashed on takeoff at Malta airport, killing all five people onboard.

The incident involving the Fairchild Metroliner turboprop on Monday led to the closure of the airport as an investigation was under way. Video footage showed the aircraft on fire after the incident.

Airport officials said: “We can confirm that the five crew onboard are deceased.”

Early reports said the plane had been chartered by the EU’s border control agency, Frontex, for a flight to Libya.

Frontex issued a swift denial, and the EU’s foreign policy representative, Federica Mogherini, tweeted: “No EU officials involved in plane crash in Malta. The flight was not related to any of the EU activities.”

According to another source, the plane was a twin-prop Metroliner. We’re not sure if this is the actual plane in the pic, or merely an example of the aircraft type.

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