12 Killed in Fiery Costa Rica Plane Crash

A private plane crashed in Costa Rica Sunday, killing 10 American passengers and two Costa Rican crew members.

The plane went down in Punta Islita in Guanacaste, a province in northwestern Costa Rica, after 12 p.m. local time, NBC News reports. The mountainous area, which is about 140 miles west of the capital of San Jose, is popular with tourists.

President Luis Guillermo Solis said the investigation into the tragic incident will start on Monday.

Reuters reports that local officials said the victims are Americans.

"There are no people alive," Security Minister Gustavo Mata said in a statement. Mata said the bodies were so badly burned that the identities of the victims will not be known until after an autopsy is complete.

Enio Cubillo, the director of the country's civil aviation agency, said the plane was operated by Nature Air.

The company later released the plane manifest, with the full list of victims, whom include Amanda Rae Geissler, Mitchell Weiss, Leslie Levin Weiss, Bruce Steinberg, Irene Steinberg, Matthew Steinberg, William Steinberg, Hannah Mae Weiss and Gene Wing Szeto.

The two deceased Costa Rican crew members are Juan Manuel Retana and Emma Ramos Calderon.

Esta es la lista final, oficial y verificada por las autoridades de los fallecidos en el vuelo de #NatureAir. pic.twitter.com/Rk8zVoLGsM

— Luis Manuel Madrigal (@MadriCR) December 31, 2017

Former President Laura Chinchilla Miranda confirmed that her cousin, Retana, was one of the deceased.

"You will remain in our dear hearts," she wrote in Spanish.

La fatalidad se interpone en las celebraciones de familia. Nuestro querido primo fallece como parte de la tripulación de la avioneta siniestrada en Guanacaste. Fuerza a sus hijos y hermanos y paz a sus restos.
Permanecerás en nuestro corazón querido #JuanManuelRetana

— Laura Chinchilla M. (@Laura_Ch) December 31, 2017

Photo credit: Facebook / Costa Rica Ministry of Public Security