Two men are confirmed to be dead in a light aircraft crash near the village of Churton, south of Chester, last night.

A Cheshire Police spokeswoman said, “Sadly the two men onboard the aircraft, one from North Wales and a second man from Surrey, sustained fatal injuries. Their next of kin have been informed but formal identification has not yet taken place.”

Police said that staff at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire, north Wales, reported the plane missing on Thursday night. Air accident investigators are currently at the accident scene. The bodies are still thought to be in the wreckage.

A police helicopter is also at scene of the crash, where it will help search for the wreckage. The deceased men have not been named yet. It is also unclear as to who among the two was flying the plane at the time of mishap.

The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service was informed to come to Chapel Lane, Aldford, at 8.45pm last night. “Two fire engines from Chester went to the scene and on arrival crews found a two-seater plane had crashed into a field”, a spokesman said, adding, “Police and paramedics were also on the scene and firefighters assisted them in gaining access to the aircraft which contained two men.

According to Wrexham. com, the crash site is located by the eastern / waverton approach to the Grosvenor estate, home of the Duke of Westminster, just off Chapel Lane near the hamlet of Bruera. The plane involved is a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk, which is two seater and often used for training purposes with a cruising speed of 103 mph, reported Wrexham.com.

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