A screenshot captured on Google Maps shows location of Ravensburg in Germany.

BERLIN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A small business plane crashed Thursday evening in southwestern Germany, killing three people, local media said.

The accident took place in Ravensburg, the German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The Cessna Citation Mustang Model 510 was on its way from the Frankfurt-Egelsbach airfield to Friedrichshafen, but went down in a forest area, Germany's Southwest Broadcasting company reported.

The aircraft with the destination at the Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen took off at Egelsbach near Frankfurt, and was said to have already landed. But, suddenly the radio contact was broken off, according to the report.

The reason of the accident is still unclear.

The rescue work, which is made difficult by snowfall, is still ongoing, with about 80 staff on site.