17 die in Luxembourg air crash

Seventeen people were killed and five more injured when a twin-engine plane crashed in fog close to Luxembourg airport early today.

The Luxair turboprop Fokke-50, carrying 19 passengers and three crew, was on a regular flight from Berlin's Tempelhof airport when it crashed just a few miles short of Findel airport.

"There were 22 people in the plane and we have six survivors. The survivors are badly injured," said police spokeman Vic Reuter.

The plane crashed only some 50 metres from the small village of Roodt-Syr, 3 miles from Findel airport, said government spokeswoman Anne Weiler.

Prime Minster Jean-Claude Juncker immediately rushed to the scene of the accident.

The plane crashed after 10 a.m., five minutes before the scheduled landing of the plane. Findel airport was immediately closed and incoming planes were diverted to other airports in Germany and Belgium.

The Roodt-Syr area where the plane crashed is marked by gently rolling hills covered with woods and farmland. Early morning fog in Luxembourg is a common occurrence in November.