Three die in mid-air collision

A policeman stands guard beside the wreckage

Two men and a nine-year-old boy have been killed in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft.

The crash involved a two-seater Cessna 150 and a single-seater Yak 50 which had been coming into land at North Weald, Essex.

The planes came down at 1725 BST in the Hastingwood area of Harlow, about eight miles north-west of the airfield.

One plane was reportedly performing aerobatics before the crash.

The operation went on into the night

There are no reports casualties on the ground, but an Essex Police spokeswoman said debris was found near a village street.

Witness Gary Mills, who has a business near the scene, told the BBC: "A lot of debris fell from the skies and a lot of it fell into our yard."

He added that he thought one of the planes may have been from a nearby film set.

A spokesman for Essex Fire Brigade said the two wrecked planes had landed 150 metres apart.

"Both wreckages were 100 metres from the nearest occupied building," he added.

Investigation launched

Crews were standing by to assist with the investigation which would continue into the night.

The North Weald airfield has been owned by Epping Forest District Council since 1980.

Council spokesman Tom Carne said the airfield was small with a number of private and business users.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: "The two light aircraft crashed near to North Weald airfield which is in a very rural environment, not in the town of Harlow.

"The crash will now be investigated by the Department of Transport's Air Accidents Investigation Branch."