10 US citizens, 2 pilots killed in Costa Rica plane crash

A family in the suburbs of New York City said five of the dead Americans were relatives on vacation. They identified them as Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their sons Matthew, William and Zachary, all of Scarsdale

A plane carrying 10 US citizens and two local pilots crashed in a wooded area, killing all aboard Sunday, Costa Rica’s government said.

The tail of the burned fuselage of a small plane that crashed, rests near trees in Guanacaste, Costa Rica on Sunday. (AFP Photo)

The accident occurred in the mountainous area off the Punta Islita beach town in the province of Guanacaste, about 230 km (140 miles) west of the capital of San Jose.

The Public Safety Ministry posted photographs and video of the crash site showing burning wreckage of the plane in Guanacaste, northwest Costa Rica.

Authorities said Sunday evening that so far they had only a list of passengers provided by the airline and were awaiting official confirmation of their identities.

A family in the suburbs of New York City said five of the dead Americans were relatives on vacation. They identified them as Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their sons Matthew, William and Zachary, all of Scarsdale.

“We are in utter shock and disbelief right now,” Bruce Steinberg’s sister, Tamara Steinberg Jacobson, wrote on Facebook. She also confirmed the deaths in an interview with NBC News .

Rabbi Jonathan Blake of the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale said in a statement posted on the Temple’s Facebook page and sent in an e-mail to The AP that the Steinbergs were involved in philanthropy and local Jewish groups. “This tragedy hits our community very hard,” Blake wrote.

Cubillo said the cause was under investigation.

He identified the pilot as Juan Manuel Retana and described him as very experienced. Former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said via Twitter that Retana was her cousin.

The same plane had arrived in Punta Islita on Sunday morning from San Jose and was delayed in landing by strong winds, Cubillo said.

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