Two people are dead and another two are injured after a float plane carrying six people crashed near Tofino, B.C., Friday, according to the Transportation Safety Board.
Out of the two injured passengers, one sustained critical injuries and the other had non-life-threatening injuries, according to the safety agency.
The other two passengers were unharmed, the TSB said.
The Air Nootka Beaver float plane with five passengers, believed to be hikers, and a pilot left Hesquiaht Lake, about 85 kilometres northwest of Tofino, on Friday morning but an emergency beacon was activated minutes after takeoff.
The JRCC said it received a signal from the fixed-wing plane at 10:30 a.m., just eight minutes after it took off, but all communication and tracking was lost afterwards.
Their flight was headed to Gold River, about 40 kilometres northeast of their departure point.
CFB Comox deployed two cormorant helicopters to search by air and crews searched on the ground in ATV teams hours after the crash.
Rain and limited visibility hampered search efforts, said Cpl. Darren Lagan of the Island District RCMP.
"It's a fairly dense forested area," he said. There was "rain falling, there's some light wind in the area and limited visibility. The waters are described as being rough -- not terribly dangerous seas, but certainly higher than you would typically see in the summer months.
Air Nootka has declined to comment on the situation until more information is made available. None of the passengers’ or the pilot’s identities have been confirmed.
With files from The Canadian Press
