Banja Luka police spokesperson Mirna Soja told the AP that three skydivers, an instructor and the pilot of the Cesna plane died in the crash.
She said the skydivers had just finished their training and were about to embark on their first jump, but their plane burst into flames just after takeoff from a small airstrip in Banja Luka.
Firefighters rushed to the scene and set about extinguishing the blaze.
Video obtained by the AP from the crash site showed families of the dead hugging each other and crying after watching the plane plummet from the sky.
