Honduras Plane Crash: Bradley Post, 3 Other Americans Among 5 Dead

Five people, including four Americans, were killed when a small plane crashed into the sea off the coast of Roatán island in Honduras shortly after takeoff, officials said Sunday.

The Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 49 miles from Roatán. Armed Forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza confirmed the nationalities of those who died, which included a Canadian pilot. The State Department said in a statement that the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa is "providing all appropriate consular assistance."

"We express our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy," a spokesperson said. "We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased."

The local military said in a statement that rescue boats with police divers and firemen recovered four bodies within minutes of the crash, and transported another to a hospital, where he died shortly. The cause of death for the fifth victim was said to be due to internal injuries, according to the New York Post.

Honduran authorities identified the pilot as Patrick Forseth, who developed tourism projects in the Trujillo Bay area. Forseth was involved in a legal dispute with Afro-indigenous Hondurans who accused him of trying to develop their ancestral lands into vacation properties for international tourists.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who died in a tragic plane crash in Roatán Islands, Honduras,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Stefano Maron wrote in a statement. “Canadian consular officials in Tegucigalpa, Honduras are in contact with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family of the victim.”

The pilot's sister, Jenna Forseth, spoke to local media, saying her brother was “well-loved” in the area and “the whole town is in mourning.” The pilot was also the general manager of Carivida, a restaurant in Trujillo.

The American victims were identified by local authorities as Bradley William Post, Robert Wilson Miller, Anthony Frederik Dubler, and Frederik Anthony Tepel. However, the U.S. State Department did not confirm the identities of the victims.

The exact cause of the crash was not revealed by authorities.