By Kanishka Singh
July 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday that a Kenmore Air seaplane in Washington state with 11 people on board made an emergency landing near Sucia Island before catching fire, but everyone on the plane was accounted for after a rescue operation.
Kenmore Air, the largest U.S. seaplane airline, said a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter plane that departed from Lake Union, Seattle, was involved in an accident in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island at about 5:15 p.m. PDT (0015 GMT).
An image released by the Coast Guard showed the seaplane on fire in the water at the crash site.
Sucia Island is in Washington state’s San Juan Islands located north of Seattle near the Canadian border.
The Coast Guard and Canadian and local responders launched multiple assets to assist with the rescue, the Coast Guard said.
“Several patients are being transported to local hospitals for medical evaluation and treatment,” it added.
Kenmore Air said there were 10 passengers and one pilot on board. Two injured passengers were transported to medical facilities in Bellingham and another two injured passengers were transported to Orcas Island for evaluation and treatment, the airline said.
“Kenmore Air is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities, and we will continue providing verified information as it becomes available,” CEO David Gudgel said in a statement.
Founded in 1946, Kenmore Air flies more than 90,000 passengers annually on scheduled, scenic and charter flights, according to its website.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed)
