Plane crash in Portugal causes 2 dead

An air crash in the mid-west city of Leiria in Portugal caused two people dead on Sunday, bringing the number of people killed in air accidents in the southern European country in 2019 to four, local media reported.

The two men, 67 and 41 years old, were identified as a pilot and his student, but their identities have not been known, according to SIC TV.

The light plane crash triggered a forest fire near the Jose Ferrinho aerodrome in Leiria. Nearly three hours later, the fire was extinguished by firefighters.

The incident occurred at 4:48 p.m. local time under circumstances which are still under investigation.

The crash is the second of its kind in 2019, bringing the total number of casualties in such incidents in Portugal to four. The previous air crash occurred in March in Braganca and killed two people.