The plane, which had been due to stop first in Spain before heading to Morocco where it was registered, came down just after takeoff near the village of Saint-Pierre-de-Bressieux, about 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Grenoble.

Bruno Charlot, a local government official, told BFM TV the plane was carrying a Moroccan family.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the crash, he said.

Center>Copyright Reuters, 2013