A plane believed to be carrying 12 people has crashed in Guancaste, Costa Rica, according to the country's Ministry of Public Security, Dec. 31, 2017. — --

The parents were both physicians, he said. There were nine Backroads guests, a Backroads trip leader and two flight crew members on the Nature Air flight, the company said. Investigators are still looking for the cause of the crash.

The flight was operated by Costa Rican airline Nature Air using a Cessna 208 Caravan with 10 passengers, mostly tourists, and 2 crew members on board. The investigation was conducted by Costa Rica In the initial stage of the investigation, investigators cited mechanical failure, human factors, and adverse weather condition as the cause of the crash.On 8 January 2018, Costa Rica's Organismo de Investigación Judicial (Judicial Investigation Organisation) raided the offices of Nature Air in The crash highlighted the danger of privately chartered tourist passenger flights, causing concern among Costa Ricans who work in the tourism industry.A Nature Air Cessna Caravan 208, similar to the crashed aircraft
2 American families killed in Costa Rica plane crashShots fired as crowds clash with police in downtown ChicagoSimon Cowell accident renews e-bike safety concerns as sales soar during pandemic Coronavirus updates: US records under 50,000 new cases for 1st time in 6 daysInvestigators are still looking for the cause of the crash. Mitchell Weiss, his wife, Leslie Weiss, and their two children, Hannah and Ari Weiss, all died in the crash, according to Rabbi Jacob Luski of Congregation B’nai Israel of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The State Department declined to identify the people on board "out of respect for their families."

“It’s a terrible tragedy. They said within minutes of takeoff the plane took a nose dive and crashed.

"This tragedy is hard to process for a variety of reasons, not least among them the loss of an entire family in one instant," Hagerman said in an email to the school district community on Monday. The family has requested that the media does not mention where she is from," Einbinder said in a statement Monday.

A family of five from New York were also killed, the rabbi at that family's synagogue said. It’s a devastating loss,” Luski told ABC News.

Dawn and Matthew Wolfe, who have been vacationing in Costa Rica for a month, said they and their three children were sitting in a restaurant near Punta Islita Airport when the plane took off. Newlyweds Brandon and Brandy Wiley are on a backpacking adventure in Costa Rica, when their 8 - person Cessna crashes in dense tropical rainforest. The plane crashed in Guanacaste just moments after takeoff from Punta Islita Airport, according to officials and witnesses. Two American families were among the dead, ABC News has confirmed. We are in contact with Costa Rican aviation authorities and will continue to monitor the situation." All on board were killed on impact. Newlyweds Brandon and Brandy Wiley are on a backpacking adventure in Costa Rica, when their 8 - person Cessna crashes in dense tropical rainforest. "We are extremely heartbroken over this horrific loss of life and are working with the local authorities to understand the cause of the crash. “Unfortunately, Backroads lost one employee in the Costa Rica plane crash yesterday and it was Amanda Geissler. The region from Playa Avellanas to Playas del Coco in Guanacaste. A family of four from Tampa Bay, Florida, was among those killed, the rabbi at the family's synagogue said. Zachary Steinberg graduated high school in 2016 and his brother William graduated the year after. Cubillo said the cause of the crash was under investigation.