A small plane caught fire near Duisburg and crashed in a parking lot during a circus performance. At least two people were killed. Several parked cars caught fire.

Two people were killed when a small-engine plane crashed in the parking lot of a circus in Duisburg on Sunday. A spokesman for the police in Duisburg told the German Press Agency (dpa). The machine caught fire after the impact near the A59. It is not yet possible to say who the dead were. “Bild” had also reported on two fatalities.

The crash of the small-engine plane in the parking lot of a circus in Duisburg happened during a show with around 900 visitors. A fire department spokesman told a dpa reporter at the scene of the accident on Sunday. The entrance to the circus tent was only about 50 meters from the crash site. The wreck was shielded with privacy measures, reported a dpa reporter. Several parked cars caught fire. At least ten cars were damaged.

The police spokesman said it was still unclear whether there were other victims or whether other people were injured. Nothing was known about the cause and exact course of the accident. Initially, after the incident in the afternoon, the operation focused on extinguishing the fire.

A cloud of black smoke rose above the scene of the accident. According to WDR, the machine is an ultralight aircraft. According to the dpa reporter, experts from the Düsseldorf district government were already on site about an hour after the incident. The area was cordoned off over a large area – also to keep onlookers away.