Guatemala crash victims came from Utah group

(CNN) -- Nine of the 11 people killed in a weekend plane crash in Guatemala were members of a Utah-based antipoverty group, the organization announced Monday.

"Each member of this expedition had seen the world as it is and had a vision of what it could be in a small way through their selfless actions," the Center for Humanitarian Outreach and Inter-Cultural Exchange said in a written statement. "We honor them for that vision."

Three members of the group, known as CHOICE Humanitarian, survived Sunday's crash. Their conditions were "not yet clearly known," the West Jordan, Utah-based group said Monday.

Guatemalan authorities originally reported four survivors from the crash.

The identities of the group's members were not released. They were on their way to the village of Sepamac, where they were to finish building a classroom, the organization said. Watch scene of plane crash »

"Our hearts are heavy with this great loss," it said. "We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all who lost their lives or their family in this tragic event."

In addition to the nine members of CHOICE Humanitarian, the pilot and co-pilot of the chartered Cessna Caravan died when the plane went down Sunday morning in Zacapa, an agricultural hub about 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of Guatemala City.

"It seems like the pilot tried her best to make a safe landing in an open field, but was not successful," Ricardo Lemus, a Zacapa firefighter, told reporters. "On impact, the aircraft was split into pieces."

The pilot reported engine failure about 45 minutes after taking off from the city of Aurora, and flight controllers lost contact with the plane at 9:45 a.m., said Jose Carlos, Guatemala's director of civil aeronautics.

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