At least three people have been killed and eight others injured after a small plane flew into a crowd at a German airfield, according to local media.

The accident occurred in the German state of Hessen, near the town of Fulda. Police confirmed there was an incident involving a Cessna aircraft which resulted in deaths.

🔴 SUIVI - #Allemagne: L'accident d'avion s'est produit vers 15h45 et le pilote du #Cessna a perdu le contrôle de son appareil et a fauché un groupe de personnes qui se trouvaient à proximité d'une piste d'alpage..." pic.twitter.com/uhsmdlwi5G — FranceNews24 (@FranceNews24) October 14, 2018

Deutshe Welle reported, citing police, that the victims were two adults and a child. The child was a young boy who was nine or 10 years old, Hessenschau.de reported, citing officials.

The pilot of the Cessna F172N was reportedly attempting to land on the mountain of Wasserkuppe in Hessen, a popular place for light aircraft enthusiasts which boasts a small airfield.

He failed to align the plane with the runway for landing and tried to lift again to correct his error, police said. However, the aircraft lost power and crashed.

The pilot was not injured, but suffered severe shock along with three others inside the aircraft, according to Hessenschau.

The Hessen State Chancellory tweeted that the state's prime minister and interior minister are sending thoughts to the families of the victims.

MP #Bouffier & Innenminister @peterbeuth zeigen sich tief betroffen vom #Flugzeugunglück auf der #Wasserkuppe: "Unsere Gedanken sind bei den Angehörigen der Opfer. Den Verletzten wünschen wir baldige Genesung. Zudem danken wir den Rettungskräften & der Polizei für ihren Einsatz." — Staatskanzlei Hessen (@RegHessen) October 14, 2018

The Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is currently investigating the exact cause of the incident.

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