Two Britons are thought to be among seven people who were killed when a light aircraft crashed in the Dominican Republic today.
The Foreign Office is looking into reports that two British citizens were among the six passengers on the small plane which crashed in the Punta Cana region of the Caribbean island.
The accident is believed to have happened at about 8.15am in the east of the island when the single-engine Piper PA-32 crashed shortly after take-off.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are looking into reports of an incident involving a light aircraft in the Punta Cana region on the Dominican Republic.
'The British embassy in Santo Domingo is liaising with local authorities to urgently gather more information and stands ready to offer consular assistance if required.'
The pilot of the single-engine Piper PA-32 was apparently attempting to make an emergency landing after taking off from Punta Cana when the plane struck the ground in a golf course adjacent to the airport and burst into flames, according to Civil Aviation Institute spokesman Hector Olivo.
The plane was en route to the Samana Peninsula off the north coast with a pilot and six passengers.
Local police said four of the passengers were tourists from Spain and two were from Britain. The pilot was from the Dominican Republic.
The bodies, which have yet to be formally identified, were taken to the National Forensic Science Institute for autopsy, according to the Dominican Air Accident Investigation Commission.
The plane had taken off from Punta Cana International Airport to fly to Arroyo Barril Airport, about 80 miles away. The plane was owned by private firm Sky High Aviation Services and had a registration number of HI-957.
The Aviation Safety Network confirmed the crash today and said: 'The plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The pilot tried to perform an emergency landing, but the plane crashed near the airport.
'All seven occupants, a pilot and six passengers, died in the crash.
'The plane was destroyed by fire.'
Punta Cana Airport’s tower reported it had lost contact with the plane once it took off, according to Domincan Today.
Olivo said civil aviation officials were dispatched to the scene to investigate the cause of the crash.
