2 dead as small plane crashes in Germany

Two people were killed when a small plane crashed on a highway near the eastern city of Magdeburg on Friday afternoon, police told the BILD newspaper.

"The aircraft caught fire completely during the crash. According to current information, two passengers were recovered dead by emergency responders," a police spokesperson said.

No other vehicles were involved. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Police and emergency services are at the scene. The highway remained closed.

Photographs showed firefighters extinguishing the remains of a red-and-white aircraft. Large sections of the plane were destroyed in the crash. The tail lay on the roadway, while charred debris could be seen on an embankment.

According to the flight-tracking portal Flightradar, the aircraft appeared to be an Aerostyle Breezer, a two-seater ultralight plane. It was reportedly registered to an aviation club in the northern town of Kropp and took off at 12.33 pm (1133GMT) from the club's airfield.