Three people killed as small planes collide

Two small airplanes collided in midair Saturday near Denver, killing three people, authorities said.

The two occupants of one of the airplanes were found dead in the wreckage, and the occupant of the second plane also was found dead in wreckage at a separate location, the Boulder County Sheriff ’s Office said in a statement.

The collision happened just before 9 a.m. Saturday. The identities of the victims have not been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement posted on Twitter that it was investigating a collision between a Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos aircraft near Longmont, Colo., about 30 miles north of Denver.