KINGSTOWN – Four people have died in a plane crash on the island of Bequia, part of the Caribbean island group St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

The small aircraft took off from Bequia bound for St. Lucia shortly after noon on Thursday, only to crash into the sea a few minutes later.

On board were the locally residing owner and pilot of the aircraft, a 51-year-old American tourist, and his two daughters aged 13 and 11.

There is no information yet on the cause of the accident, but witnesses reported hearing sputtering sounds from the aircraft during take-off. After attempting to gain altitude, the plane crashed vertically into the sea just off the coast.

Divers could do nothing but recover the four bodies, which were handed over to the quickly arriving coast guard.