A man and a seven-year-old boy have died in a light aircraft that had been carrying parachutists in County Offaly, Ireland.

Two Dead In Parachute

Gardaí (Irish police) said the aircraft, which had 16 parachutists on board, took off from Clonbullogue Airfield at 14:45 BST.

All 16 jumped from the plane, but it crashed in bogland shortly afterwards.

It has been reported that the pilot was from the UK. The bodies were recovered from the wreckage on Sunday night.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit has confirmed it is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Offaly councillor Noel Cribbin said: “This is a big shock to the area. These flights have been happening for the last 20 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of a plane going down.”