Three people have died after they were hit by a small plane in central Germany as it attempted to take off from an aborted landing.

Police in Hesse state said the victims, two women and a child believed to be nine or ten years old, were standing at the edge of an airfield at the Wasserkuppe hill near Fulda.

They said the Cessna had been attempting to take off after an aborted landing manoeuvre on Sunday, but failed to gain lift and broke through a barrier, hitting the trio.

Five other people — the four on board the plane and an eyewitness — were suffering from shock.

The plane came from the Mannheim area of southwestern Germany and had been on an excursion to the Wasserkuppe.