BRISBANE: Five people are feared dead after a light plane crashed at an airfield in eastern Australia on Saturday, emergency service workers said.

The plane, used for skydiving, took off before veering left, crashing and bursting into flames at Caboolture, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Brisbane.

“We received a call from the airfield and sent three crews to a light plane that had crashed,” a Queensland Fire and Rescue Service official told AFP. “The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes.”Queensland Police said: “It is believed that five people were on board and that all are deceased.” Bryan Carpenter, who works at the airfield, said the plane was a Cessna 206, which carried between five and six people on skydiving flights.

He told Sky News the burning high-octane fuel destroyed the plane within just one minute.

“On impact with the ground (the plane) immediately burst into flames and there were no survivors,” he said.

“This is the worst-ever fatality accident we’ve suffered (at Caboolture).”