New York State Police (NYSP) announced that five relatives from Georgia were killed in a plane crash Sunday afternoon in upstate New York, ABC News reported.
The deceased ranged from the age of 76 to 10 and belonged to the Beggs and VanEpps families, police said, the outlet reported. Two of those killed were reportedly children.
Authorities said they identified the downed plane as a single engine aircraft called the Piper Malibu Mirage following a search of the area by drones, helicopters and ATVs, ABC News reported. The family had been returning to Atlanta after stopping in Cooperstown, New York for a baseball tournament, the outlet reported, citing the police.
“In the wake of a heartbreaking tragedy, we mourn the loss of our family. Yesterday, we received the devastating news that Ryan, Laura, James Ryan, Harrison Van Epps and Laura’s father Roger Beggs were involved in a fatal plane crash, and our hearts broken,” Ansley Van Epps, an apparent relative, wrote on Facebook. (RELATED: Two Dead After Plane Crashes Into Mobile Home Park, Officials Say)
“As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls, and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted about the tragedy.
As we learn of this tragic news, please join Marty, the girls, and me in praying for the loved ones of the Beggs and VanEpps families. We offer our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them. https://t.co/HZU0YzDg1x
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 1, 2024
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown, ABC News reported. The NYSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Identification Unit are collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Board (NTSB) in investigating the matter, the outlet noted.
