Two men have died after a light aircraft crashed near a lake in Greater Manchester, police confirmed.
Fire crews, paramedics, police and an air ambulance rushed to the scene of the crash next to Hollingworth Lake in Littleborough, Rochdale, shortly after 11am on Tuesday.
They found the small Cirrus SR 20 aircraft up in flames near the M62, with pictures from the scene appearing to show a yellow parachute tangled up in a nearby pylon.
It has now been confirmed that two men were found in the wreckage and tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) added that the deceased were the only people on the aircraft and there were no casualties on the ground.
Reports suggest that one of the two men attempted to evacuate the plane using the parachute, but sadly did not survive.
Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis of GMP’s Rochdale district said: ‘This is a devastating incident where two people have lost their lives and our thoughts are with their families and friends.
‘We have been working closely with emergency service colleagues and partner agencies throughout the day to establish the full circumstances and we will be on scene overnight and into tomorrow.
Two men have died after a light aircraft crashed near a lake in Greater Manchester earlier on Tuesday, police have confirmed
Police, paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash next to Hollingworth Lake in Littleborough, Rochdale, shortly after 11am
The Cirrus SR 20 had taken off from BirminghamAirport at 9.59am but is understood to have crashed at 10.30am when it lost signal
‘There will be an enhanced presence as officers and investigators comprehensively survey the area and ensure all available evidence is recovered.
‘If anyone has any information, or witnessed the crash, we would urge you to get in touch with us.’
An investigation carried out by The Air Accident Investigation Branch is ongoing with a cordon at the scene still in place. GMP are also continuing their enquiries.
It is understood that the Cirrus SR 20 plane which crashed had taken off from Birmingham Airport just before 10am, though where it was headed remains unclear.
The aircraft lost signal at 10.38am, according to tracking website FlightRadar24, which is likely the time when it hit the floor.
The plane was privately owned and confirmed to include a parachute deployment feature. It is thought that police are exploring the deployment of a parachute as part of their investigation.
As well as the emergency services and the AAIB, National Grid have been present at the scene to make sure that it is safe, with no disruption to electricity supply expected.
GMP did however warn locals to expect some disruption on nearby roads.
