Two people died last night when the autogyro in which they were travelling crashed near the El Polvorín air field near the town of Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres). The accident occurred at around 9pm, when, according to an eye-witness report, the autogyro suddenly gained altitude then plummeted to the ground, bursting into flames on impact.

One of the victims has been identified as Domingo C, a local man who was a very experienced pilot and who owned a pizza restaurant.

The identity of the second victim has not been confirmed, though he is believed to have been a young man from Agramunt (Lérida), who was interested in acquiring an autogyro for himself.

This young man's father, who was watching from the ground, was taken by ambulance to the Campo Arañuelo Hospital, where he was treated for severe shock.

The accident attracted a large crowd of on-lookers, including the mayor of Navalmoral, Rafael Mateos, and his deputy, José Demófilo Pascual.

The badly-burned bodies were eventually removed from the scene at 11.30pm, and taken to the Virgen de las Angustias mortuary, where autopsies will be performed.