11 Feb 2011

Six dead after Irish plane crash

7:44 am on 11 February 2011

A commuter plane has crashed in Ireland killing six people and injuring another six while trying to land in heavy fog at Cork airport.

The turboprop aircraft flipped onto its roof and burst into flames as it made its third attempt to touch down.

The police say four of the injured are in a serious condition.

The plane, which was carrying 12 people, was travelling from Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Irish Aviation Authority chief executive Eamonn Brennan says visibility was so bad that the control tower was unable to see the aircraft when it crashed.

Photographs taken by witnesses show the aircraft lying upside down with its front end almost completely destroyed.

The crash is the first major air accident in Ireland since 1968.