One man is dead and another is in serious condition after a small plane crashed into the Athabasca River near the town of Jasper, Alta., on Sunday afternoon.

The lone passenger, a 31-year-old man, was declared dead on scene, RCMP Const. Shelley Nasheim said in a news release.

The pilot of the Cessna 150 was flown to an Edmonton hospital by STARS Air Ambulance. He is in serious, but stable condition.

It was reported at about 1:30 p.m. that the aircraft crashed into the Athabasca River near the local airport, Nasheim said.

A CBC Radio-Canada reporter witnessed the aftermath of the crash, and observed one person getting CPR.

RCMP, EMS and fire crews were on scene near Highway 16, just a few kilometres east of the townsite. A portion of the highway was closed, but has since re-opened, according to 511 Alberta, a traffic reporting site.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash.

One person died at the scene a few kilometres east of the town of Jasper. (Marc-Antoine Lavoie/Radio-Canada)