A small paramilitary jet has crashed soon after take-off near the airport in Delhi, killing all 10 people on board, officials say.
The twin-engine turboprop aircraft belonging to the Border Security Force went down on Tuesday after hitting a wall outside the airport, and burst into flames.
"All the crew on board have died in the crash," junior aviation minister Mahesh Sharma said.
The aircraft hit the wall of a sewage treatment plant just outside the airport boundary, a member of the fire services on the scene told dpa.
There were two pilots and eight technicians, all men, on board. The plane was due to fly from Delhi to the eastern city of Ranchi.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"It is not clear yet what caused the accident. We have ordered an inquiry," he added. The plane was more than 20 years old.
Images on television channels showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the debris.
The crash site is about 500 metres from the airstrip used by Indian security forces, that is in the same complex as the city's main international airport.
"We saw the plane spiralling and crashing down near the wall where some labourers were working. A labourer was injured," local resident Rohit Saini told news channels.
A witness said the crash site was close to a railway station.
"We escaped a much bigger tragedy. Had the plane crashed at the station, there would have been many more casualties," he said.
More than a dozen fire engines extinguished the blaze some hours after the accident.
This was the second accident in and around Indian airports on Tuesday. Early in the day, a shuttle bus crashed into an Air India passenger plane parked at Kolkata airport but no one was injured, NDTV reported.
There were no passengers either on the plane or the shuttle, although the plane was damaged.
