14 killed in French Polynesia air crash

PAPEETE, France (Reuters) -- A passenger aircraft crashed in French Polynesia on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, with another six still missing, French authorities in Papeete said.

An Air Moorea Twin Otter aircraft with 19 passengers and a pilot on board crashed after taking off from Temae airport in Moorea Island, en route to the local capital Papeete, a short flight away.

Earlier reports said the plane had been coming from Papeete.

Police said 14 bodies had been recovered including that of the pilot, but no survivors had been found as yet. The search for the remaining passengers was continuing. All but two of the victims were French.

A spokeswoman for Air Moorea said all 20 people aboard the aircraft were feared killed.

The plane, a Dehavilland Twin Otter aircraft, veered to the right after take off for the short flight to the main island of Tahiti and crashed into the ocean at around 12:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT) on Thursday.

Aviation authorities said weather conditions were clear.

The plane came down one mile from the coast near fishermen, who tried to help those on board, Air Moorea said in a statement. It gave no further details.

Moorea is one of around 118 islands scattered across an area the size of Europe in the South Pacific that make up France's overseas territory of French Polynesia.

Authorities in Papeete said the victims included two tourists and two European officials posted to the region, who local media said had been visiting a water purification plant.

Moorea is popular with foreign tourists, and the crash occurred in the tourist high season.

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie issued a statement expressing her condolences and saying that Christian Estrosi, secretary of state for France's overseas territories, would go to the region to show the government's solidarity.

The bodies of all the victims found so far have been taken by French navy personnel to a mortuary. Air Moorea, a subsidiary of domestic airline Air Tahiti, said it had never had an accident in its 35-year history. E-mail to a friend

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