Two pilots died on Sunday after their small aircraft collided in mid-air near the Krems-Gneixendorf airfield in Lower Austria and crashed, police said.
The two planes burst into flames upon impact with the ground, scattering debris across the field. Philipp Gutlederer of the Lower Austria emergency service confirmed the incident. Police spokesman Johann Baumschlager confirmed both pilots were killed, and authorities said there were no other occupants aboard either aircraft.
Multiple fire brigades responded to the scene. Firefighters awaited the arrival of a pyrotechnics specialist due to an unexploded ejection-seat cartridge found in the wreckage. The cause of the mid-air collision remains unclear, and an investigation is expected to follow.