Costa Rica plane crash: US family among 12 dead after tourist aircraft crashes and burns

Ten Americans flying from a vacation hotspot on Costa Rica’s tropical Pacific coast died Sunday when the small plane they had just boarded crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off, officials in the country said.
A list of the passengers given by local media showed five shared the same last name, suggesting they were related.
“The government of Costa Rica profoundly regrets the deaths of 10 US passengers and two Costa Rican pilots in the air accident,” which occurred in the country’s northwestern Guanacaste region, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said in a statement posted to social media.
A US State Department official said: “We confirm the deaths of multiple US citizens in an airplane crash in Costa Rica.”
The official said “we express condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,” as well as assistance to “affected US citizens, but that “out of respect for the families, we are not sharing additional information at this time.”
Cause unknown
Costa Rican officials said the plane that came down belonged to Nature Air, a domestic airline that services routes across the country and which also provides aircraft for charter.
Guanacaste is a popular vacation destination, especially this time of year, when its pristine beaches and jungle provide a respite for tourists fleeing the northern hemisphere’s winter.
Americans are by far the biggest group of tourists visiting Costa Rica.