Two dead in B.C. plane crash   Play video

Two B.C. men died after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday afternoon Vernon, B.C., police say.

Shortly after 1 p.m. local time, Vernon RCMP were called to investigate the crash of a plane that had just taken off from airport, police said Saturday night.

The twin-engine Piper plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Marshall Fields, a sports complex in Vernon. The aircraft burst into flames on impact, police said.

The pilot, a 59-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., and his passenger, a 55-year-old man from the Port Moody, B.C., area, were both killed in the crash.

No one on the ground was injured, police said.

Police have not yet determined the ages and hometowns of the victims.

The wreckage of the plane has been moved from the crash site and is being held for further investigation, police said.

Vernon is located in the B.C. interior, about 440 km northeast of Vancouver and 550 km southwest of Calgary.