Myrtle Beach plane crash kills 5, including pilot

Authorities said at least five people have died in a plane crash in North Myrtle Beach South Carolina Sunday as it went down minutes after the take-off from Grand Strand Airport.

The plane crashed two miles northwest of the airport, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Sunday.

"The Horry County Coroner's Office is still in the process of identifying the victims. They will be releasing the information once everyone is identified and next of kin are notified," North Myrtle Beach Police Public Information Officer Pat Wilkinson told CNN.

The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

Horry County coroner Tamara Willard told the media that four died on the spot and one was taken out of the wreckage of the plane and transferred to a hospital succumbed to the injuries.

According to FlightAware data, the plane — a Piper PA-32R-300 — took off at 11:02am and crashed at 11:03am.

The coroner's office also stated that the victims' identities will be revealed once their families are notified.

According to local media reports, several of the victims are related and their families are from another country.

The aircraft seats six people and is considered by aviation experts as a "high-performance" single-engine plane.

Police said that meanwhile, the road where the wreckage landed was closed and reopened only Monday night. The crash took place along Pete Dye Drive just off Gray Heron Road.

Local reports suggested the plane’s registration number — N5524F — indicated that it belonged to New Jersey native Joseph T Farnese. But it remained unclear whether he was flying the plane or was on it, according to WBTW News 13.