When the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad arrived at the site of a mid-air crash near Alaska’s George Inlet, they were disturbed to see the wreckage of two float planes bobbing in the water.

“I saw the Beaver plane upside down, and the Otter, and they were both near the shore,” rescue commander Jerry Kiffer recalled Monday evening.

The bodies of two passengers were located late Tuesday as rescuers combed through the wreckage, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed.

One Canadian is among the six people dead after the two sightseeing planes collided about 1 p.m. Monday. All were passengers on a side trip off the Royal Princess cruise ship, which left Vancouver on May 11.

Alaska State Troopers confirmed the identity of Elsa Wilk, 37, of Richmond, British Columbia, on Tuesday.

Among the other victims is Randy Sullivan, 46, from Ketchikan, Alaska; Simon Bodie, 56, from Tempe, Australia; Cassandra Webb, 62, from Saint Louis, Missouri; Ryan Wilk, 39, from Utah; and Louis Botha, 46, from San Diego, California.

“It’s been a lot of wreckage and it’s not very normal,” said Kiffer. “We haven’t seen crashes like this, and I don’t expect very many people to survive.”

Kiffer said an Allen Marine Tours boat called in the alert. The family-owned company, which operates day cruises out of the small city of Ketchikan, declined to comment on Tuesday.

“From my knowledge, tourist boats in the area really helped in the difficult time,” Kiffer said.

Read more:

“You are at the mercy of nature”: Experts warn of float plane risks after latest deaths in Alaska

One of the planes, a single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 operated by Taquan Air, was carrying 10 passengers and a pilot back from Misty Fjords National Monument. One person died in the crash.

The pilot and nine passengers on the Otter were able to make their way to shore, where they were rescued, Coast Guard Commander Michael Kahle told reporters.

A spokesperson for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center said four people were stabilized and transferred by Medevac to Harbourview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday, while six were admitted to PeaceHealth and were in fair condition on Tuesday.

The other single-engine plane, a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver operated by Mountain Air Service, was carrying four passengers and a pilot. Three people from the Beaver are dead, including the pilot. Princess Cruises released a statement Tuesday saying the three confirmed dead were all American.

The Mountain Air Service website identifies local Ketchikan resident Randy Sullivan as the sole pilot of the small family-operated tour company. On Tuesday, family and friends posted memorial messages for Sullivan online. The Ketchikan Fire Department’s Facebook page posted a link Tuesday to a donation account set up to support Sullivan’s family.

One Facebook post from Monday included a picture of a woman with a man identified as Sullivan, bearing the caption: “Had a beautiful Misty Fjords with Randy Sullivan today!” By Tuesday afternoon, people were using the post to share their condolences.

The volunteer rescue squad was scheduled Tuesday to conduct a dive for bodies in the area where the Mountain Air flight went down.

Sullivan was interviewed by the L.A. Times in 2015 about the dangers and rewards of flying float planes in the Northern U.S. state. He was quoted saying that pilots in Ketchikan “never want a lake named after” them because it’s a sign the pilot perished in a crash.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

A Facebook user, Mike Zankl, identified himself as a passenger on the cruise and told Star Vancouver on Tuesday that the mood on board was sombre. He said he could hear the emergency sirens in Ketchikan after the accident.

“It appears to have shaken every passenger to the core,” he said.

“Princess (staff) gave full support to the affected families and had a crisis (counselling) team for the passengers.”

Taquan Air said the company has suspended operations while the crash is being investigated.

“There are no words other than we are heartbroken over this loss,” the company said in a Tuesday statement. “We are focused now on extending our full support to our passengers and their families, along with first responders and other agencies.”

Melanie Mestas, a Ketchikan resident, said she saw the Royal Princess depart the port at around 6 p.m. Monday. She was surprised to see tug boats accompanying the vessel, because cruise ships normally leave under their own steam.

“I live right on the narrows and I watch the cruise ships go by, and it was like, wow, they’ve got tug boats helping them get out of the narrows,” she said in an interview Tuesday, suggesting the gesture was a show of solidarity.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” Mestas said. “These people come out here and this is their dream. It’s their dream trip.”

Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor David Landis released a statement Tuesday thanking the community for a “tremendous outpouring of support.”

A Washington, D.C.-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan on Tuesday afternoon to investigate the collision, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said.

Global Affairs Canada released a statement Tuesday confirming one Canadian had died in Alaska. They have yet to comment on the body of another Canadian located Tuesday evening.

“Canadian consular officials in Seattle are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and stand ready to provide consular assistance as required,” according to the statement from spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé.

Local emergency responders are working with state and federal agencies and Good Samaritan vessels to help recover victims.

It’s not the first time a major plane crash has occurred near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination for whale watching, halibut and salmon fishing and other nature tours. Experts say flying float planes in remote areas poses unique challenges for pilots.

In June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 39 km from Ketchikan. The National Transportation Safety Board later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety program were behind the crash.

Correction — May 14, 2019: This story has been updated from a previous version that misspelled the name of rescue commander Jerry Kiffer.

Correction — May 15, 2019: This story has been updated to correct the number of Canadians who died in the crash.

With files from The Associated Press snd The Canadian Press