LUXEMBOURG, Nov 6: A Luxair passenger plane on a flight from Berlin crashed in thick fog near Luxembourg airport on Wednesday, killing at least 17 of the 22 people aboard, a Luxembourg police spokesman said.

“All five survivors are in critical condition in hospitals in Luxembourg,” spokesman Vic Reuter said.

The twin-turboprop-engine Fokker 50 plane carrying 19 passengers and three crew members crashed into a field some five kilometres from the Grand Duchy’s international airport.

The plane, on a scheduled flight from Berlin-Tempelhof airport, was making its final approach when the crash occurred, officials said.

Television pictures showed the crumpled, smoking wreckage of the plane, its nose cone smashed into the ground, surrounded by scores of emergency workers. Luxair said the plane had been in service since 1991.

“Luxair deeply regrets having to confirm that flight LG9642/LH2420 coming from Berlin-Tempelhof to Luxembourg was involved this morning in an accident at Niederanven,” the airline said in a statement.

The plane departed from Berlin’s Tempelhof airport three minutes behind schedule on a bright sunny morning, a Berlin airport spokeswoman said.

The German foreign ministry said it feared there were many German nationals among the dead.

Luxembourg authorities declined immediate comment on the cause of the accident, which was under investigation, but officials said the control tower received no distress call before the crash.

A spokesman for Belgium’s defence ministry said Brussels had sent three helicopters to the site of the accident and put a military hospital on alert after neighbouring Luxembourg requested help.

Some 100 rescue workers were involved at the scene, near a residential area where many foreigners live, police said.

Luxair is 13 percent owned by Lufthansa and 36.5 percent owned by the Luxembourg government. The remaining shares are in the hands of private companies.—Reuters