New Year tragedies

10 Americans among 12 killed in Costa Rica plane crash

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A family of five from a New York City suburb was aboard a plane that crashed minutes after takeoff from a popular beach resort in Costa Rica on Sunday, killing all 12 people aboard, a relative and other officials said.
The wreckage of the plane that crashed in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, on Sunday. All 10 passengers and the two pilots were killed.
The wreckage of the plane that crashed in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, on Sunday. All 10 passengers and the two pilots were killed. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SAN JOSE • A Costa Rican plane crashed into woodland off a popular tourist beach on Sunday, killing 10 US citizens and two local pilots, the Costa Rican government said.

The accident occurred in the mountainous area off the Punta Islita beach town in the province of Guanacaste, about 230km west of the capital of San Jose.

Mr Enio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica's civil aviation agency, said the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft, operated by local company Nature Air, had crashed minutes after take-off, but that officials had not yet determined the cause.

The plane passed a safety inspection about a month ago and was authorised to fly, Mr Cubillo said.

Although strong winds in the morning had forced the pilots to alter their itinerary, they had flown safely to Punto Islita to pick up passengers headed to San Jose.

Nature Air said in a statement that it lamented the accident, without explaining the cause.

The flight was part of a special charter service for 20 people, relying on two planes.

The first plane, carrying 10 passengers, arrived safely in San Jose at 11.40am. The second, with 10 passengers and two pilots, departed 20 minutes later.

"Regrettably this plane crashed a few minutes after taking off," Nature Air said.

A video of the crash site obtained from Costa Rica's Security Ministry showed flames consuming a pile of blackened ruins, with plane parts scattered in an area thick with trees.

Former Costa Rica president Laura Chinchilla said on Twitter that one of the pilots who died in the accident was her cousin.

A US State Department official confirmed that multiple US citizens had died, but said it would not provide further details out of respect for the affected families.

"There are no people alive," said Costa Rica's Security Minister Gustavo Mata, adding that autopsies would be needed to confirm the total number and identities of victims as their remains were badly burned.

Punta Islita, on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, is popular among North American and European tourists for its pristine beaches and lush landscape.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 02, 2018, with the headline 10 Americans among 12 killed in Costa Rica plane crash. Subscribe