Two planes collided in mid-air Thursday over western Slovakia, killing seven of the 38 parachutists onboard.
The crash took place Thursday morning at 2:20 a.m. EST when two Czech-made L-410 transport planes collided at an altitude of 1,500 meters near the village of Cerveny Kamen, the Associated Press reported.
Three helicopters were used to reach the isolated crash site in the White Carpathians mountain range that forms of the border with the Czech Republic, according to The Independent.
Peter Bubla, spokesman for the Health Ministry, noted that 38 people were on board the two planes and 31 people survived the collision. Five people needed on-site treatment, but nobody was hospitalized.
Interior Minister Robert Kalinak revealed that many of the survivors jumped out of the plane after the collision, according to the Daily Press.
"The 31 parachutists managed to jump out from the falling planes and survived," Kalinak told the TA3 news television station as he visited the crash site. "They all landed safely. It's a small miracle."
Officials confirmed that the dead included the two crew members from both planes and three parachutists.
The parachutists were training for an air show taking place this weekend in Slavnica.
This story comes a few days after two planes collided in California leaving five dead.
