Two people died when a Czech-registered ultralight aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain in Croatia on Friday, roughly 60 kilometres short of its intended destination on the Adriatic coast.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane around 16:00 local time as it approached the coastal city of Zadar, prompting a search operation. The wreckage and two bodies were discovered hours later in the mountains of Paklenica National Park, northeast of Zadar. Visibility at the crash site was reduced to just 50 metres, severely complicating the recovery effort.
Some 35 rescuers from the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service based in Zadar and Gospić were deployed to the scene. Police are expected to conduct an on-site investigation on Saturday.