Tegucigalpa: Four Canadians and an American pilot died Saturday when their private plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Roatán island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said. The plane crashed near the town of Dixon Cove, a few minutes after taking off from the island's airport, rescuers 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.

The dead were identified as Bradley Post, Bailey Sony, Tomy Dubler, and pilot Patrick Forseth. The other Canadian pilot, Anthony Dubler, briefly survived the crash but died at the Roatan hospital of his injuries. Local authorities did not immediately offer a cause for the accident.

The Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80 kilometers (49.71 miles) from Roatan, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada, and Europe, authorities said. It occurred as the tourists were headed toward the city of Trujillo, about 77 kilometers (48 miles) from Roatan.

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