A small plane missing for more than a week in B.C.'s Interior has been found near Apex Mountain Ski Resort. The four men onboard have all been confirmed as dead.
The Victoria-bound Piper PA24 went missing on Aug. 17, shortly after departing from the Penticton airport.
The plane was found by a Canadian Forces search crew on Wednesday. Search master Capt. Scott Cursley told CTV News that a military aircraft caught a glimpse of the wreckage while flying over the crash site.
"One of our military spotters noticed something unusual, probably from a glint on the sun, asked the aircraft to come around to do some further investigations," Cursley said.
"We had the helicopter go over to the area, as it has the ability to line people down, and we were given the notification that, yes indeed, we had found the search object."
Mario Tello, father of missing pilot Rama Tello and another man aboard the plane, said that it was painful to learn of his sons' death.
However, he added that, "to know they found my sons and their friends is a relief."
Friends of the missing men offered up a $10,000 reward to motivate people to join the search.
Some media outlets have reported that the plane is connected to the B.C. drug trade, and further questions have emerged about Rama Tello and his circle of friends.
An undated photograph found online shows Tello's roommate Matt Schrader posing with United Nations gang member Elliot "Taco" Castaneda, who was shot to death in Mexico in 2008.
Schrader has declined to be interviewed.
Until now, RCMP have only said that they are focusing on helping out with the search and have not determined the purpose of the Piper's flight to Victoria.
