Alaska sightseeing plane crashes; 9 dead

Alaska

Eight passengers of a cruise ship and a pilot have been killed when a sightseeing plane crashed into a cliff face in southeastern Alaska on Thursday.

Officials from Federal Aviation Administration said the DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter turbopop crashed under unknown circumstances above Ella Lake near Ketchikan.

"We are incredibly distressed by this situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with those onboard the plane and their families," cruise company Holland America Line said in the statement, “extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved."

The airline's website promotes tours of the 2-million-acre Misty Fjord National Monument in its float planes.

"Towering granite cliffs, 1,000-foot waterfalls, lush and remote valleys and serene crystalline lakes make up this incredible landscape," it says.