Tecnam P2002 light aircraft crashes into Austrian lake

A small aircraft crashed into Lake Attersee in Upper Austria on Wednesday morning, shortly after taking off from Salzburg. According to the report, the plane departed at 11:04 and lost contact with ground observers around 11:30.

Witnesses said the aircraft lost altitude rapidly before hitting the water and sinking almost immediately. Citing a newspaper report, the source identified the aircraft as a Tecnam P2002 Sierra, a two-seat light plane.

The crash site lies in a section of the lake reaching depths of up to 160 metres. Fire crews, police and water rescue teams searched the area using sonar equipment, an underwater camera and a remote-operated diving robot, but the wreckage had not been located as of Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities said as much as 130 litres of fuel may have leaked from the aircraft. The number of people on board at the time of the crash had not been confirmed.

No further details on the cause of the accident or the condition of any occupants were available at the time of reporting.