Bodies of 4 recovered after plane goes missing in Bahamas
Color satellite image of the Bahamas in the West Indies. (Photo by: Planet Observer/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Family members say the bodies of four people aboard a small plane that disappeared shortly after taking off from the Bahamas have been recovered.
Authorities in the United States and the Bahamas searched for the small plane that disappeared shortly after taking off from a Caribbean airport en route to South Florida.
What we know:
The United States Coast Guard joined police on the island of Andros to search for the PA-34 Piper five-seater aircraft after a report Monday afternoon that said it may have gone down off the coast of Red Bays in the Bahamas.
Officials said the plane departed Great Harbour Cay shortly after 11 a.m. Monday with four people aboard and was headed to Miami Executive Airport in South Florida. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft about 13 miles west of Andros Island.
What they're saying:
In a video statement shared with FOX affiliate WSVN, Silvia Larrieu said her uncle, his wife and two of his grandchildren were aboard the plane.
Larrieu later said relatives on boats recovered their bodies after launching their own search effort.
Dig deeper:
The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association said the U.S. Coast Guard assisted with their search on Tuesday.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by The Associated Press and a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. This story was reported from Orlando.