Two people presumed dead after small plane crashes in a marshy area in Louisiana

Both people on board a small plane that crashed in southern Louisiana on Wednesday night are presumed dead, officials say.

The aircraft went down in a marshy area near a highway around 8:30 p.m. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined and is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate that immediate rescue efforts after the crash were challenged by the marshy terrain. By Thursday morning, officials made it to the wreckage site by airboat. Much of the plane was under water.

Only two people were aboard the plane. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt. Brennan Matherne confirmed initial media reports to The Associated Press that both people were presumed dead.

Additional details, including the identity of the victims, were not immediately available.