COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Two people died in a plane crash Sunday over Lake Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office told the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
Witnesses said they saw two planes colliding above the water, then crashing into the lake near Powderhorn Bay, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The crash took place about 2:20 p.m.
Multiple local agencies, including the sheriff’s marine teams, local fire departments and the United States Coast Guard, responded to the crash, the newspaper reported.
Lt. Ryan Higgins with the sheriff’s office confirmed two bodies had been recovered from the planes. The victims have not been identified.
John Cowles told the newspaper that he was on the lake with his family at the time of the crash. Cowles said he saw what appeared to be an “engine explosion” on a seaplane flying no more than 200 feet overhead. One of the plane’s wings then separated, and the plane fell into the water.
The National Transportation Safety Board will likely take over the investigation in the coming days, Higgins told the Spokesman-Review.