Swiss embassy officials in Costa Rica have told Swiss Radio International that it appears no Swiss were on board the plane that crashed into a house near the capital, San Jose, killing at least four people.

Swiss embassy officials in Costa Rica have told Swiss Radio International that it appears no Swiss were on board the plane that crashed into a house near the capital, San Jose, killing at least four people. 15 passengers and three crew were on board the aircraft, reportedly from France, Spain, the United States and Costa Rica.

The Swiss chargé d'affaires in San Jose, Armin Meile, said the house that the plane crashed into was rented by a Swiss citizen, possibly leading to confusion about the nationalities of the passengers. Initial reports said most of the passengers were Swiss.

The plane nosedived into the roof of the house shortly after take-off from a small airport outside San Jose. Three people were in the house at the time of the crash, but were not seriously injured.

The local Red Cross said the four dead were passengers, and some of the injured, including the pilots, were in a serious condition.

According to air traffic control at the Tobian Bolanos airport, the pilots said they had experienced mechanical problems.

The plane was believed to have been destined for Tortuguero national park on the Caribbean coast.

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