Conflicting accounts say victims travelling on private plane off Roatán island were from US or Canada

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Five foreign tourists died on Saturday after a private plane they were traveling in crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the island of Roatán, near the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.

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Officials gave conflicting accounts of the victims’ nationalities. Armed forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza said four of the victims were from the United States and the fifth victim’s nationality had yet to be determined.

Local emergency services initially said the victims included four Canadians and another victim of unknown nationality.

Authorities said they could not confirm the cause of the crash.

The plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80km (49.71 miles) from Roatán, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the US, Canada and Europe, authorities said.

The make of the plane was a Piper PA-32-260, local authorities said. Piper Aircraft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.