Lisbon  - Two Dutch student pilots and their Spanish instructor were killed when their light aircraft crashed in southern Portugal, officials said Wednesday.

The plane, which was travelling from Seville in Spain to Evora in Portugal, crashed near Castro Verde on Tuesday evening.

The plan was a two-engine Piper registered in Belgium, according to sources at Evora airport. The victims were between 18 and 27 years old.

The causes of the accident were not immediately known. (dpa)