TRAGIC

10 U.S. Citizens Among 12 Dead in Costa Rica Plane Crash

The plane went down just minutes after taking off and burst into flames.

A family of five from New York was among the victims of a deadly plane crash in Costa Rica on Sunday, in addition to five other American tourists and two Costa Rican pilots. The single-engine plane transporting the group to San Jose went down in a wooded area in Guanacaste and burst into flames shortly after taking off from the Punta Islita Airport, authorities said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known but the plane had reportedly earlier delayed its arrival in Punta Islita due to strong winds. Family and friends cited by The New York Times have identified five of the victims as Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their three sons, William, Zachary, and Matthew. The family, described by friends as avid world travelers, had reportedly been on the last leg of their journey during a long-awaited trip to Costa Rica. Another American couple, Mitchell and Leslie Weiss of Belleair, Florida, were killed along with their 19-year-old daughter Hannah, the New York Daily News reports.