Two light aircraft collided and crashed near a village in northwest Slovakia's Trencin region, killing seven people, during skydiving practice on Thursday morning, the Fire and Rescue Corps Presidium confirmed.

Juraj Gyenes from the Aviation and Maritime Investigation Office said that the aircraft were carrying skydivers and reportedly had a total of 40 people on board before colliding and crashing near the village of Cerveny Kamen of Ilava district.

According to Andrej Hirjak from the Emergency Medical Service Operational Centre (OSZZS), four ambulances and three rescue helicopters are at the scene.

Special troops on quad-bikes and six-wheel vehicles will search for people in difficult terrain, reported by local news agency TASR.

Preliminary investigation showed that one aircraft hit the ground in Chotuc saddle, a region difficult to access, while the second came down around two km from Cerveny Kamen.

Local firefighters have been dispatched to both of the sites where the planes crashed.