VALLETTA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Five French customs officers were killed after their plane crashed shortly after taking off at Malta International Airport, according to a Maltese government press release.
The officers were taking part in a French customs surveillance operation and were tasked with tracking illicit trafficking routes, according to the press release.
The accident happened at around 7:20 a.m. local time (0620 GMT). The flight had been registered with Malta Air Traffic Services as a local flight and was to return to Malta within hours.
Initial reports stated the aircraft had been deployed by Frontex, the European Union's border management agency, however some time later Frontex wrote in a tweet denying any involvement.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini further tweeted that no EU officials were on board the plane and that the plane was not related to any EU activities.
According to the government statement, all five victims were believed to be French. The French embassy has yet to comment.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is still underway.
In a statement issued by Malta International Airport at 11:33 a.m. local time (1033 GMT), it confirmed that the aerodrome had reopened but with considerable delays.
