Plane Crash in Alaska Kills 6 People

U.S.|Plane Crash in Alaska Kills 6 People

Six people, including five passengers who had been on a cruise ship, were killed on Thursday morning when a small plane they were in crashed in Alaska, the authorities said.

A helicopter crew from the U.S. Coast Guard located the wreckage near Ketchikan shortly after 2:30 p.m. and lowered two rescue swimmers to the scene, who reported no survivors, according to the statement.

One pilot and five passengers were on the aircraft, a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, according to statements from the Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The aircraft had departed from Misty Fjords for Ketchikan, an area about 300 miles south of Juneau. The network of waterways and expansive views of natural wilderness have helped make it a popular destination for tourists.

Around 11:19 a.m. local time, something went wrong, and the plane crashed about eight miles northeast of Ketchikan, according to the Coast Guard and the F.A.A. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Officials did not identify the people killed.

The five passengers on the plane had been traveling on a Holland America Line cruise ship called the Nieuw Amsterdam, according to a statement from the company.

“We can confirm that a float plane carrying five guests from Nieuw Amsterdam was involved in an accident in Ketchikan, and there are no survivors,” the company said. “It was an independent tour not sold by Holland America Line. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims.”

A telephone message left for Holland America Line was not immediately returned on Thursday evening. The plane was operated by Southeast Aviation, according to a spokesperson for Holland America Line, The Anchorage Daily News reported.

Efforts to reach Southeast Aviation on Thursday evening by email and phone were not immediately successful.