Irishman killed in Australian plane crash

A young Irishman was one of five people killed after an aeroplane crashed in Australia, the Foreign Affairs Department confirmed today.

The man, who was believed to be 34-years-old and from Co Kildare, died after the single-engine plane crashed in eastern Australia.

A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department said: “We are aware a young Irish man was killed in an air accident in Australia. The Embassy in Canberra is offering the family assistance.”

The Cessna 206 was believed to be carrying seven people, including three trainee skydiving students, three instructors and the pilot, when it crashed into a dam near Ipswich in Queensland.

Two people who survived the crash and were taken to hospital.

The accident is believed to have happened shortly after the aircraft took off from a skydiving centre near Ipswich.