SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — A single-engine plane carrying 10 US citizens and two local crew members crashed shortly after take off in a wooded area, killing all aboard Sunday, Costa Rica’s government said.
Authorities in Guanacaste, a popular region on the Pacific coast for tourists, responded to reports shortly after noon of smoke and flames rising from woods near Punta Islita Airport. Emergency responders found the charred wreckage of a Cessna plane operated by the regional airline Nature Air and the burned remains of those who had been on board.
Authorities said that so far they had only a list of passengers provided by the airline and were awaiting official confirmation of their identities.
At a news conference, Enio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica Civil Aviation, said the Nature Air charter flight took off just after noon Sunday from Punta Islita and was headed for the capital of San Jose when it crashed.
He identified the pilot as Juan Manuel Retana and described him as very experienced. Former Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla said via Twitter that Retana was her cousin.
Aviation and security officials told local news media that the cause of the crash was unknown but that the plane encountered inclement weather when it first tried to land in Punta Islita. The plane returned to another airport before it eventually landed in Punta Islita around 11 a.m., Cubillo told the newspaper El Mundo.
Nature Air did not respond to phone and e-mail messages.
The US State Department said it was aware of the crash and was working with aviation authorities in Costa Rica. “We express our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,’’ a spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Costa Rica, particularly its pristine beaches and lush mountains on the Pacific coast, is popular with North American and European tourists.
More tourists visit Costa Rica from the United States than any other country. Eco-tourism is also a major draw, and Nature Air bills itself as the first carbon-neutral airline in the world.
Globe news services
