The families of an engaged British couple were confirmed as victims of a New Year’s plane crash in Australia.
Five people and a pilot were on the seaplane when it crashed into the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney on Sunday. No one survived, New South Wales police confirmed.
Richard Cousins, 58, fiancé to Emma Bowden, 48, died along with Bowden’s 11-year-old daughter Emma and Cousins’s two sons William Cousins, 25, and Edward Cousins, 23. Gareth Morgan, 44, was identified as the pilot, and he worked for Sydney Seaplanes.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and an investigation is currently pending.
Sydney Seaplanes said it was “deeply shocked” by the “tragic accident” in a statement, The Independent reported.
A U.K. Foreign Office spokeswoman told publication: “Officials from the British consulate are in contact with local authorities in relation to a seaplane accident near Sydney. We stand ready to provide consular assistance.”
Cousins, who was the head of Compass for the past 11 years, was slated to retire in March before the crash took place.
The Sydney Seaplanes aircraft is still submerged in the water. It won’t be taken out for several days, according to reports.
“We have spoken to a number of witnesses,” acting Superintendent Michael Gorman told reporters, adding that forensic police would inspect the plane to assess when it could be raised from the riverbed. “It’s too early in the investigation so we don’t know why the plane crashed.”
