2 dead after Cessna crashes off south Florida coast

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Two people were killed Saturday morning when a small airplane crashed off the coast of south Florida, officials said.

The plane, a Cessna 172 four-seat aircraft, reportedly went down about four miles south of Port Everglades, Fla., on the Atlantic coast, though emergency responders were not given a precise location for the crash. The Broward County Sheriff's Office was first notified of the crash and initiated a search-and-rescue mission that included several area law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard.

At approximately 11 a.m., a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue aircraft spotted the wreckage 1.5 miles south of Port Everglades off Dania Beach. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the two individuals were floating in the water near the wreckage and transported to Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale, where they were pronounced dead. It was not immediately clear whether the victims were killed due to the impact of the crash or if they survived but died in the water.

Coast Guard officials were subsequently able to establish the victims, who were not identified, were the only passengers aboard the plane and the search was called off about 1:45 p.m.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.