Plane on French anti-smuggling mission crashes in Malta

A light aircraft conducting a French surveillance mission over the Mediterranean crashed on take-off in Malta on Monday, killing all five people on board, Maltese authorities said.

The twin-prop Fairchild Metroliner crashed near the runway of the island's main airport at about 7:20 a.m. (0520 GMT), sending smoke billowing into the sky, closing Malta International Airport for several hours in what was the country's worst peacetime air incident.

The flight was part of a customs operation the French have been conducting for the last five months, tracking human trafficking and drugs smuggling, the Maltese government said. Airport officials said the plane had been heading for Misrata in Libya.

It was a "reconnaissance aircraft ... carrying out surveillance operations over the Mediterranean for the defense ministry," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

On board were three defense officials and two private contractors, all French, Le Drian said. All their remains were found, the Maltese government said, adding that inquiries were under way to determine what had happened.

"Official information, footage and eyewitnesses ... clearly indicate that there was no explosion prior to impact," the government said.

The flight was registered as local with Malta Air Traffic Services and was due to return to Malta within hours without landing in any other countries, the government said.

Airport sources initially said the plane was believed to be carrying officials from European Union border agency Frontex, but the organization later said none of its staff were involved.

The plane was registered in the United States and was leased to Luxembourg-based CAE Aviation.

CAE Aviation said the plane was not operating on behalf of Frontex or the Luxembourg government.