ONE man is critically ill in hospital and another suffered serious injuries after a plane carrying eight parachutists crashed on take off at Headcorn Airodrome yesterday.

The pilot, a man in his 20s was taken to the Royal London Hospital by air ambulance. His injuries are said to be life-threatening.

The co-pilot, who suffered severe injuries, was taken to Maidstone Hospital by ambulance.

One of the parachutists was treated for breathing problems. The small skydiving plane crashed into a static display as it was taking off.

Fire crews from Tenterden, Maidstone, Ashford and Marden were called to the scene. They released the pilot using a "snatch rescue procedure".

Officer in charge Greg Theophanides said: "The on-site crews worked well with attending firefighters to quickly release the passengers and make the scene safe. It was time critical as the plane had a full tank of fuel."

Three appliances, a water unit and a foam unit attended the incident. An air accident investigation has been launched.