BRATISLAVA (REUTERS) - Two planes carrying civilian parachutists rehearsing for an air show collided in mid-air on Thursday in Slovakia, killing seven people, a spokesman for rescue services said.

She gave no further details.

Between 20 and 40 people were on board the two aircraft, and witnesses reported seeing some of them jumping with their parachutes open, the website of the daily Dennik N said.

The crash happened near the town of Ilava, 150km north of the Slovak capital Bratislava.