efe-epaLisbon

At least five people died on Monday when a small airplane crashed in a Portuguese town near the capital Lisbon, civil protection sources told EFE.

Agency sources said among those killed were the pilot and three passengers _ all of whom were French _ and a Portuguese man who was unloading a truck in the area of the crash.

The reason for the incident, which happened in the town of Tires, near Estoril, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Lisbon, was not yet known.

Photographs made available to epa showed smoke billowing out from damaged buildings, as firefighters worked at the scene.

The aircraft had Swiss registration, according to Portugal's office for the prevention and investigation of air and rail accidents (GPIAA).

The crash happened at about 12:00 pm local time in the parking lot of a supermarket in a residential area of Tires.

Several ambulances, police officers and members of rescue services were dispatched to the scene, which was cordoned off.

The aircraft had taken off for Marseille, France, from nearby Cascais Municipal Aerodrome.