Small plane crash in northern Canada kills 5

Small plane crash in northern Canada kills 5

2011-07-02 07:04:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

LA RONGE, CANADA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll has risen to five people after a small aircraft crashed on Thursday in the northern region of Canada, officials said Friday.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed the five deaths following Thursday evening's crash involving a single-engine Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft. The crash site was about 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) north of the community of Southend, located in the northeastern part of Canada's Saskatchewan Province, CBC News reported.

Search and rescue teams from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were deployed soon after, and the plane was located at the bottom of Buss Lake where two deceased bodies were found. After transporting the bodies to La Ronge, Saskatchewan, authorities were able to identify them and have been notifying their families.

Nightfall and poor visibility made it impossible for emergency teams to continue working on Thursday after finding the third victim. However, they continued efforts Friday morning, and two more bodies were located. RCMP underwater recovery teams are currently working on recovering the remaining bodies at the crash site.

The aircraft is operated by Lawrence Bay Airways, which regularly flies people in and out of the Lawrence Bay Lodge and its surrounding areas. Canadian authorities are currently investigating the incident in order to determine the cause of the accident.

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