Vancouver: Seven people were killed when a private passenger plane went down on the western coast of Canada's British Columbia province.

According to reports, there were eight people on board the ill-fated Grumman Goose aircraft when it crashed on the Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver.

Pacific Coastal Airlines, which owns the plane, said seven passengers died. One person survived and he was recovered from a beach near the crash site.

The plane, which was carrying construction workers employed at a power project about 150 km from here, went missing a little after taking off at 10.15 a.m. from Vancouver international airport.

Emergency crews responded immediately by dispatching rescue aircraft to the crash site.

Refusing to comment on the likely cause of the crash, Pacific Coastal Airlines vice president Spencer Smith said the pilot was an experienced person.

"I don't know what to tell you. There's nothing good about this. It wouldn't take very many people to figure what it feels like, if they have any sense of empathy," he told reporters.

 

Source : IANS