Six tourists, pilot killed in Dom. Republic plane crash

Six tourists from Britain and Spain and their local pilot were killed Monday when their small plane crashed into a golf course after takeoff from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, authorities said. "Seven people were aboard the plane from Punta Cana to Arroyo Barril," the Dominican Civil Aviation office said in a statement. The victims were identified as Dominican pilot Hector Soriano, 37, and six passengers who were Spanish and British tourists, the office said. It did not immediately specify how many people were from which country or identify them. Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the Sky-High Piper PA-32's crash. They said witness reports that the pilot tried to land on the golf course suggests a possible mechanical cause. Punta Cana, on the north coast, is the Caribbean country's largest single collection of resorts.