A small plane made an emergency landing Wednesday on a Portugal beach, killing a man and girl who were sunbathing there.
The incident happened on Sao Joao beach in Caparica, southwest of Lisbon. The plane’s two pilots were unharmed and were being questioned by police, BBC News reported.
Hundreds of sunbathers were on the beach and scattered as the light aircraft, reportedly a Cessna, wobbled in its advance onto the beach, The Associated Press reported. Photos showed the plane looked to have a damaged left wing that hung lower than the right wing, according to photos.
The landing happened at around 4:50 p.m. local time.
The 8-year-old girl was with her parents on the beach when the plane struck her; her parents were unhurt, the AP reported. The 56-year-old man was hit in the legs by the plane as he sunbathed on a towel and died on the beach.
Officials were not aware of any other injuries.
August is the busiest vacation time in Portugal, according to Reuters.
Joao Quadros, who was on the beach at the time of the plane’s landing, said the plane nearly hit his son, and that there had been no noise, the BBC reported.
Officials are not sure why the plane made an emergency landing.
Twitter users pointed out that the pilot could have landed in the water and shouldn’t have risked the lives of those on the beach.
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