Jan. 1 (UPI) — Twelve people, including 10 Americans, were killed in a plane crash in Costa Rica on Sunday, officials said.
There were no survivors in the crash. Officials are still investigating what caused the plane to go down Sunday afternoon in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, in the northwestern area of the country.
Five victims came from the same family, and one of the pilots, Juan Manuel Retana, was a cousin of former Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla, the BBC reported.
“A death has interrupted our family celebration. Our beloved cousin died as part of the crew of the plane that crashed in Guanacaste. Courage to his children and siblings and may he rest in peace. You will stay in our hearts dear #Juanmanuel Retana,” Chinchilla wrote on Twitter.
The plane was a private Cessna 208B Grand Caravan that was part of Nature Air, a Costa Rican airline according to CNN.
Nature Air has not yet released a statement about the crash.
On Sunday evening, the Costa Rican government released video of the smoldering wreckage from the plane crash.
Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solís offered his condolences to the victims’ families.
“The government vows to do everything necessary to help the victims’ family members in whatever they need in this difficult moment and sends them the solidarity of all the Costa Rican people,” Solis said.
