A recovery mission found the bodies of the four members of a Florida family who were on board a small plane that went missing when traveling back to the United States from the Bahamas on Monday.
The family announced the recovery of their four relatives through a private search mission on Tuesday. The mission found the deceased bodies of Mario Lamar Sr., 80, and his wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and their two grandchildren, Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.
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“It is with profound sadness that we confirm all four of our family members have been found deceased,” the family said in a statement. “The search and recovery mission was conducted alongside family members and civilians who answered our call for help.
“Our relatives ultimately located our loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels. We are now in communication and working with the U.S. Coast Guard to bring our loved ones home safely and with dignity,” the statement reads.
The niece of Mario Lamar and Lili Lamar told NBC Miami that Mario Lamar had been piloting the plane back from their second home in Great Harbour Cay to Miami when the aircraft disappeared. His niece, Silvi Larreau, said Lamar was “a lifelong, very experienced pilot, and they were departing business as usual, like he’s done his entire life.”
The plane had taken off shortly after 10 a.m. on Monday from Grand Harbour Cay, and the search effort was conducted off the coast of Andros Island, where the plane had lost contact.
AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE DEAD IN MIAMI PLANE CRASH: OFFICIALS
The aircraft was a Piper PA-34 Seneca aircraft, which is used primarily for private and business flight purposes.
Authorities have not yet announced an official reason for the plane’s disappearance. According to NBC, the official search for the aircraft had been temporarily paused on Monday due to inclement weather.
