One person was killed and three others were injured when a small plane crashed after taking off from the Sechelt-Gibsons Airport Thursday afternoon.
Assistant fire Chief Dwight Davison with the Sechelt Fire Department said the single-engine Cherokee Piper 140 took off just before 3 p.m., and went down about 1.5 kilometres west of the airport.
Davison said three people were able to get out of the plane on their own, and made it to hospital, however their condition remains unknown.
The fourth victim died of their injuries and remained in the aircraft as of Thursday evening, he said.
According to the RCMP, the four people were a family taking a sight-seeing trip, and the pilot did not survive.
Firefighters and the RCMP are working to recover the body, Davison said, but are attempting a difficult technical recovery.
The location of the wreck, the angle of the plane, steep terrain and unstable ground are all adding to the challenge, he said.
Four ambulances and a helicopter were called to the scene of the crash.
The Transportation Safety Board has been notified of the crash, and will assist with the investigation, the RCMP said.
We will have more information on this developing story when it becomes available.
~ With files from Ted Field