Four killed in mid-air plane collision in Australia

MELBOURNE: Four people were killed in a mid-air collision between two light planes in Australia on Wednesday, scattering debris across a rural area north of Melbourne.

Police said the two twin-engined aircraft were each carrying a pilot and a passenger when they crashed around 4,000 feet (1,200) above the town of Mangalore.

Images from the crash scene on the ground showed twisted metal and chunks of fuselage scattered in a field and among trees.

Police said both planes were flying legally in the area but investigations were ongoing.

"We´re not sure why both aircraft were exactly on the same trajectory or why they were in that area but unfortunately they have collided mid-air," Police Inspector Peter Koger said.

One aircraft had just taken off from the nearby airfield but the other plane´s origin was still unclear, he added.