Eleven killed in Chile air crash

The five, including a mother and young child, were exercising in the playing field when the plane came down.

"Grandmothers and children were doing aerobics," one witness told local television. "Most of them managed to escape, but some were trapped."

At least 10 other people who were in the playing field were injured.

There would probably have been more casualties if the pilot had not veered away from homes, police said.

"The pilot did not have enough time for an emergency landing, but still had time to take the plane away from the residential area," Police General Jorge Rojas said.

The Cessna 210 was approaching Tobalaba airfield on Wednesday when it went down in the field in the Penalolen district, the air force said.

"The airplane appeared to lose power, made a sudden U-turn and came down," witness Ernesto Munoz told state television.

"There was raging fire when it crashed."

It is not clear what caused the crash.