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Plane crash on Catalina Island: authorities confirm several deaths
Several people have been confirmed dead after a small plane crashed on an island just off the Californian coast.
A fatal air crash involving a small plane occurred on Catalina Island late on Tuesday, authorities have confirmed to local Los Angeles news media.
How many people were on board crashed plane?
Per KTLA, officials at the Los Angeles Country Sheriff’s Department say several people have died in the accident, which is believed to have involved a twin-engine turboprop.
Citing the Los Angeles County Fire Department, NBC Los Angeles says five or six people were on board the plane when it crashed at around 11 p.m. local time.
According to NBC, the LA Fire Department also revealed that search and recovery efforts had been called off for the night and would resume on Wednesday.
What caused the Catalina Island crash?
It remains unclear what caused the accident.
KTLA has noted that the flight’s origin is yet to be confirmed, and that it is not known whether it was attempting to take off from or land at Catalina Island’s Avalon Airport.
Where is Catalina Island?
With a population of around 4,000, Catalina Island - also known as Santa Catalina Island - is located around 20 miles off the Southern California coast, some 60 miles south-west of Los Angeles.
Catalina Island is part of the Channel Islands, an eight-island archipelago in the Southern California Bight.