Four family members from Florida were found dead after their plane went down in the ocean near the Bahamas, according to a relative who confirmed the news on Tuesday. Authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, conducted a search for the plane, which is believed to have crash-landed off the coast after departing from Great Harbour Cay on Monday. The deceased were identified as 80-year-old pilot Mario Lamar, his wife Lili, 79, and their two grandchildren, 28-year-old Sofia Sosa and 22-year-old Christian Sosa. The family was traveling on a PA-34 Piper five-seater plane heading to Opa-locka, Florida.
Silvia Larrieu, Mario Lamar’s niece, stated, "It is with profound sadness that we confirm all four of our family members have been found deceased. The search and recovery mission was conducted alongside family members and civilians who answered our call for help. Our relatives ultimately located our loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels." She added, "We are now in communication and working with the U.S. Coast Guard to bring our loved ones home safely and with dignity. We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us, searched alongside us, and kept our family in their prayers. We respectfully ask for privacy as we mourn this unimaginable loss."
Larrieu informed the Miami Herald that the family was returning home to Florida after visiting a vacation property over the holiday weekend. She noted, "They’ve spent their whole life going there."
Data from FlightAware indicated that the plane descended from 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in approximately three minutes before disappearing from radar. Larrieu also mentioned that Lamar was an experienced pilot who maintained his plane in "pristine" condition.
The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast announced on Monday that it was assisting authorities in the Bahamas following reports of a downed aircraft with four people on board approximately 15 miles off Andros Island. The Coast Guard deployed a HC-144 Ocean Sentry plane to aid in the search.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force reported that they received a notification around 2:20 p.m. regarding the potential crash of an aircraft in the waters off Red Bays. Police stated that air traffic control confirmed that a PA-34 Piper five-seater aircraft, tail number N212ML, departed Great Harbour Cay at approximately 11:12 a.m. en route to Opa-locka, Florida. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft about 13 miles west of Andros Island. The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) noted that the U.S. Coast Guard had attempted to search the area for the missing aircraft, but the search was postponed due to inclement weather until conditions improved.