Seven people, including a politician, have been hospitalised after a skydiving plane crashed southwest of Melbourne.
The plane was taking off from Barwon Heads airport near Geelong about 8am on Friday when it came off the runway.
The pilot made an emergency landing nearby in Connewarre, police said.
Paramedics treated 17 people at the scene, including the pilot, with seven patients taken to hospital.
A man in his 30s was flown to The Alfred in Melbourne with upper body injuries, while another three were taken to a Geelong hospital with other serious injuries.
They are all in a stable condition, an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.
Another three passengers were hospitalised for further assessments.
Victorian MP for Frankston Paul Edbrooke was among those hospitalised.
“Very relieved to be able to report that Paul is doing okay, and he tells me he’ll be back at work in no time,” Victorian premier Jacinta Allan posted to X, formerly Twitter.
“Sending my best to all the other passengers, and a huge thanks to our amazing emergency workers, as always.”
Investigations into the circumstances of the incident remain ongoing, a police spokesman said.
Aerial shots of the crash scene show the plane branded with a Skydive Australia logo.
The company has been approached for comment.
