Three injured as light aircraft hits overhead cables

Three people have been taken to hospital after an incident involving a light aircraft in South Wales.

Gwent Police said they were called at around 11am on Sunday to reports an aircraft had to make an unscheduled landing close to the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny – colliding with overhead wiring.

The dual carriageway has been closed as result of the incident, with images captured from cars at the scene showing a plume of smoke rising into the air.

A Gwent Police spokesman said: "Three occupants of the light aircraft were treated by paramedics at the scene. Their injuries are not life-threatening."

A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire Service said the three people were "transported by ambulance to hospital as a precautionary measure".

Police said Western Power are at the scene of the incident, which saw overhead cabling fall on to a nearby train line.

A spokesman for Network Rail confirmed the line between Newport and Hereford has been closed, with replacement bus services operating until the situation has been made safe.

Speaking to the BBC, eyewitness Joel Starr said he was travelling along the A40 and saw a light aircraft out of nowhere "hit the central reservation" before it burst "into smoke and some flames".

Around 150 metres from the crash, he told the broadcaster: "It was a miracle no one else was on the road at the time."

Sprinting towards the plane he said he saw another man trying to kick one of the windows out of the aircraft, which is when he realised there were still people inside.

"A young lad had managed to crawl out through the broken window, as I got there a young woman was crawling out of the window," he said.

"I grabbed her by the belt buckle and just dragged her clear. The pilot put his hands out – grabbed both of them – pulled him out clear of the plane."

Mr Starr said he asked the pilot if there was anyone else inside, and moved the three away from the aircraft which was ablaze to wait for the emergency services.

He told the broadcaster that the parachute and extinguishers then "popped off" due to being pressurised, and the rest of fuel in the aircraft caught fire.

"It was an incredibly intense fire," he added.

Mr Starr also revealed that he was recently medically discharged from the Army for post-traumatic stress disorder.