Several feared dead as helicopter and plane collide in mid-air over Rothschild family's Buckinghamshire country house

No fewer than four people are feared dead after a light aircraft and a helicopter crashed in mid-air over Buckinghamshire this afternoon.

Locals living near the historic Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire heard a loud bang shortly after midday and came out to see wreckage from both aircraft believed to have fallen from the sky. Both aircraft involved had taken off from Wycombe Air Park, which is 16 miles to the south east of the estate, and were flying at low altitude.

At the time of the crash, the grand Waddesdon Manor, which was used in the filming of The Crown and The Queen, was hosting a Christmas Market.  Fire engines and search and rescue vehicles rushed to the scene of the crash at around 12.06 p.m. and rescue workers launched the fire brigade drone over the fallen wreckage to help in the search for survivors. Staff from the Waddesdon Estate were on ground to help direct emergency vehicles to the scene of the tragedy as police threw up a massive cordon around the area to preserve the scene.

Staff from the Air Accident Investigation Branch were also drafted into the area to begin an inquiry into what led to the mid-air collision. Sources said that it was believed there were multiple casualties, believed to be fatalities.

A local resident told MailOnline: "My father heard a loud bang. My mother said a man, who I think was someone who had been out walking nearby, then went running up to the manor to say there had been a crash. It didn't happen directly over the grounds, but in woodland nearby. My father ran up to the scene. Everyone is helping the emergency services."

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police confirmed the incident on Facebook. 

A spokesman for the AAIB said: "The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is sending a team to investigate a mid-air collision involving an aircraft and a helicopter near Aylesbury."