Thursday’s crash happened in the northern San Juan Islands, a popular tourist destination between Washington and B.C.
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Ten passengers and a pilot survived a fiery float plane crash Thursday in the northern San Juan Islands, a popular U.S. tourist destination just south of Metro Vancouver.
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The De Havilland Otter aircraft travelling from Seattle crashed shortly before 5:30 p.m. in Shallow Bay near the Sucia Islands — directly north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, according to Kenmore Air, which owns the plane.
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Photos on social media show the plane on fire shortly after touching down in the water.
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Sunrise
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The company confirmed in a statement that everyone on board has been accounted for. A spokesperson told Postmedia that it’s not known if any passengers are Canadian.
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Emergency responders, including the U.S. Coast Guard, local emergency personnel, a Canadian Coast Guard ship, and a B.C. air ambulance, all responded, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
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Six passengers were flown to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. Four passengers were transported to PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor and the pilot was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
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“Our highest priority is the care and support of our passengers, our pilot, and their families. Kenmore Air has activated its emergency response procedures and is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, local emergency responders,” the company said.
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“Out of respect for those involved, we will not speculate regarding the cause of the accident.”
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Kenmore Air cancelled all scheduled flights for Friday. Affected passengers were being contacted directly regarding rebooking or refund options.
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