6 tourists dead after mid-air collision between sightseeing planes in Alaska

Update 12:51 a.m. EDT May 15: Alaska State Troopers have identified the victims who died in the crash, Canada's Global News is reporting. They include pilot Randy Sullivan, 46; Simon Bodie, 56, of Tempe, Australia; Cassandra Webb, 62, of St. Louis; Ryan Wilk, 39, of Utah; Elsa Wilk, 37, of Richmond, British Columbia; and Louis Botha, 46, of San Diego.

Update 11:50 p.m. EDT May 14: The U.S. Coast guard has confirmed two more deaths related to the collision between two float planes Monday afternoon over George Inlet, bringing the death toll to six, according to The Associated Press.

The planes were carrying passengers from the the Royal Princess cruise ship on an aerial sightseeing tour when the two planes collided.

Authorities identified one of the victims as a Canadian citizen Tuesday, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV.

There’s no word on what happened or how the planes could have collided.

Original report: The planes were carrying tourists from a Princess Cruise ship on sightseeing flights near George Inlet when the crash happened just after 1 p.m. local time, according to authorities. The passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess.

“We are deeply saddened to report this news and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today’s accident," officials with Princess Cruises said in a statement.

All the passengers killed in the crash were aboard a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver plane, cruise line officials told USA Today. The other plane, a de Havilland Otter DHC-3, was carrying 11 people.

In a statement released early Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard officials said four people were confirmed dead after the crash, down from the five reported dead Monday by cruise line officials. Canadian authorities confirmed in a statement obtained by CBC News that one of the victims was a Canadian citizen. The person's identity and the identities and nationalities of the other three victims were not immediately released.

Marty West, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchickan Medical Center, told The Associated Press six injured passengers remained at the hospital Tuesday in good or fair condition.

Four others injured in the crash were flown to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center for treatment, according to the AP. A spokeswoman for the hospital told the AP the injuries "fractures to ribs, pelvis, arm and spine."

It was not immediately clear why the planes collided. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.