A small twin-engine plane has been forced to make an emergency landing in a southern Paris suburb.

The three people on board were taken to hospital requiring urgent attention, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening, officials said.

No-one else was injured in the incident.

The aircraft landed in a residential area in Villejuif after an engine failure, according to France's Transport Minister, Clément Beaune.

The three people on board were a flying instructor in his 80s and two passengers in their late 20s, according to local media reports.

The plane began its emergency landing on a road before crashing against the wall of an apartment building.

It eventually came to a halt in the garden at the back of the apartment building, with parts of the plane strewn over the roof of a nearby garage, and the fuselage crushed under the impact.

The tail of the aircraft was detached from the rest of the plane and the wings were largely torn off.

The plane originally took off from Rouen - around 130km (80 miles) from Villejuif - and was supposed to land in Toussus-le-Noble, near Versailles.

An investigation into involuntary injuries and endangering the lives of others was opened by the regional prosecutor and the air transport gendarmerie.

The Office of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety has also opened an investigation into the accident.