Six tourists killed in sightseeing plane crash off Alaska

Emergency responders located wreckage on Thursday

Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad personnel land and disembark from a Hughes 369D helicopter on Thursday, 5 August 2021 (AP)

Six people have been left dead after a sightseeing plane crashed in southeast Alaska, the US coast guard has said.

The plane crashed in the area of Misty Fjords National Monument, near Ketchikan on Thursday, prompting an emergency alert beacon to activate.

The Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration said that crew members found the wreckage around 2.40pm the same day.

Two rescue swimmers were lowered to the site but they reported no survivors. The identities of the deceased have not yet been released.

The Coast Guard was told by the plane’s operator that five passengers and a pilot were on board, Coast Guard Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said.

“Our hearts are shattered at the loss of six people today,” the company that owned the plane involved, Southeast Aviation LLC, said in a statement.

They added: “We are thinking of and grieving with the families of the five passengers and our dear friend and pilot aboard the aircraft.”

The company said they are cooperating with the first responders and agencies involved, including the Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board and Alaska State Troopers.

Alaska State Troopers and volunteers from the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad are said to be coordinating recovery efforts on Thursday and Friday.

The five passengers on the flight were from the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, the company said in a statement.

“The float plane excursion was offered by an independent tour operator and not sold by Holland America Line,” a statement from the company said.

Cruise ship passengers often take various sightseeing excursions while in Ketchikan to Misty Fjords National Monument and bear-viewing sites.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a crew to investigate the crash and is expected to arrive in Alaska on Friday.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press