7 injured after light plane crash in Australia's Victoria

A light plane carrying 17 people crashed in the Australian state of Victoria on Friday, which resulted in seven of the occupants being taken to hospital with injuries.

Victoria Police said in a statement that 17 people, including the pilot, were on board when the plane took off from Barwon Heads Airport at about 7:50am local time.

The aircraft got into difficulty before making an emergency landing nearby in Connewarre, a locality on the state's southern coastline.

According to Ambulance Victoria, the seven injured people were transported to hospital in stable condition.

"Paramedics assessed 10 other people from the aircraft at the scene, but they did not require emergency treatment or transport," a spokesperson from the emergency service noted.

Police added that investigations into the exact circumstances of the accident remained ongoing.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has commenced a transport safety investigation into the forced landing of a Cessna 208 Caravan skydiving aircraft.

"During initial climb after take-off from Barwon Heads, the pilot observed an engine malfunction and conducted a forced landing, during which the aircraft was substantially damaged," said ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.