Authorities say three people were killed Thursday in a plane crash near Vero Beach, Florida.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft, a Cessna 310, took off from Okeechobee on Thursday afternoon and was heading to Bartow when the FAA lost contact with it near Fort Pierce at 4:35pm.
Rescue units reportedly searched for the plane Thursday, but had to suspend the search later in the evening because the “weather was too bad,” according to St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mark Weinberg.
Friday morning, the crash site was discovered about 20 miles west of Vero Beach in the Fort Drum Conservation Area, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Due to the marshy conditions of the crash site, rescue officials were unable to reach the plane by ground. Instead, paramedics boarded a United States Coast Guard helicopter and were lowered into the marsh to remove the three victims Friday.
NTSB officials said a preliminary cause for the crash would not be available until the end of the month. At the time of crash, the victims were not immediately identified.
WPTV News has more on the tragic Indian River County plane crash in the video below:
