Dublin (ANTARA/Xinhua-OANA) - A small plane crashed in heavy fog at Ireland`s Cork Airport Thursday morning, with fatalities reported amng the 12 people on board, Irish authorities said.

The commuter turboprop, travelling from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was making its second attempt to land in "low-visibility conditions" when it crashed on the runway, the Irish Aviation Authority said in a statement.

"There is a fire and debris has been scattered onto the runway and over a wide area," the statement said.

Local broadcaster RTE said there were unconfirmed reports of a number of fatalities among the 10 passengers and two crew members on the aircraft, which was operated by Manx2, a commuter airline based on the Isle of Man. The Sky News television put the death toll at eight.

Following the crash, Cork Airport was closed and its emergency plan activated, a spokesman of the Dublin Airport Authority, which operates the Cork Airport, was quoted as saying.

Flights bound for the southwest Irish city were being diverted to airports in other cities, and investigators from the Department of Transport were on their way to the scene. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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