A man apparently hanged himself in an aeroplane lavatory during a flight that was diverted to Denver, Colorado, after his body was discovered, US police said.

Shards of aeroplane metal and house siding lay scattered across an eight-block area today after two small planes crashed, killing all five people aboard and injuring six on the ground as debris rained down on homes and streets.

Two small planes have collided and crashed into a residential area of US city killing four people in the aircraft and injuring seven on the ground.