Manitoba RCMP have confirmed three people were on board a float plane that crashed Saturday near Little Grand Rapids, Man.

In a release Saturday afternoon, RCMP said plane debris has been located in Family Lake. Earlier in the day, police said witnesses saw a the plane clip a tree before going into the lake.

A spokesperson from Blue Water Aviation Services, an air charter service out of Pine Falls, Man., confirmed to CBC News a float plane from their fleet went down, but wouldn't make any other comment.

Little Grand Rapids is located about 270 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. (CBC)

RCMP search and rescue and underwater recovery teams are on the scene, as well as a Royal Canadian Air Force plane from 435 Squadron in Winnipeg. The RCMP said its underwater recovery team will continue the search Sunday.

Angel Compton lives on Little Grand Rapids First Nation and saw the crash while she was having breakfast.

"We were just having coffee and looked out the window and there was a plane and it looked to be making a really strange turn and all of a sudden the wing fell off one side and then it started to go down," she explained.

"I ran to the porch and looked outside and saw it go down behind the trees and then I heard a loud bang."

Transportation Safety Board spokesman Chris Krepski said the aircraft was a de Havilland Otter.

CBC News reached out to RCMP for more details, but didn't immediately get a response.

Little Grand Rapids is nearly 270 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.