Police have recovered the body of a second man who died when a small plane crashed in B.C.'s West-Central Interior.
The 19-year-old Aldergrove man's body was recovered Thursday, a day after the plane he'd been in crash landed on Tyaughton Lake in Gold Bridge.
A photo from the scene posted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada showed the Cessna 180H was almost completely submerged in the lake about 100 kilometres west of Lillooet.
Another passenger, a 20-year-old man from Prince George also died in the crash.
The 20-year-old pilot, who family members have since identified as Williams Lake resident Spencer Neufeld, was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
“Spencer is recovering after undergoing surgery at Royal Inland Hospital. We are grateful that his injuries are non-life threatening," the Neufeld family said in a written statement Thursday.
“Spencer would like to thank the people who came to his rescue and saved his life after the accident, as well as the staff at Royal Inland Hospital for his continuing care…Our thoughts especially go out to the families of the other people on the plane.”
Witnesses told police the plane plunged into the lake just before 2 p.m., a short time after it took off. Those who called 911 to report it said several witnesses had rushed to the crash site and were trying to rescue the three people who'd been on the plane.
When Mounties arrived they confirmed that younger passenger had died and the pilot was injured, but the second passenger could not be found Wednesday. Officials believed that his body was still in the submerged aircraft.
An RCMP underwater recovery team was brought in to search the area the following day.
The BC Coroners Service and Transportation Safety Board are also investigating the crash. Mounties say it's too early to speculate on its cause.
