Two people have died after a plane crashed into a residential building in the German town of Korschenbroich in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. One of the dead is believed to be the pilot.

A small passenger plane crashed into a residential building in the western German town of Korschenbroich on Saturday, killing two people, North Rhine-Westphalia police said.

The crash site is near the city of Mönchengladbach and not far from the Dutch border.

Police said the small passenger plane hit the roof of a building in the area at around 12:30 p.m. local time on Saturday (May 31) and then caught fire.

One of the two people killed was a 71-year-old pilot, German news agency DPA reported, citing police. He was from Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.

It is not yet clear whether the pilot was alone in the plane or if there were other passengers with him. It is also not clear whether the other person who died was a passenger on the plane or was in the building.

It was reported from the local control center that at least 50 fire service personnel were deployed at the scene. They were able to put out the fire very quickly.

The cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed.