Plane crashes off Pacific island

The cause of the crash is unclear

A small passenger plane has crashed into the Pacific Ocean near the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, apparently killing all 20 people on board.

The twin-engine Twin Otter DHC6 turboprop crashed into the sea just after take-off from the island of Moorea, 17km (10 miles) from Tahiti.

The aircraft, which was carrying 19 passengers and one pilot, belonged to Air Moorea, a local Polynesian airline.

An inquiry is under way but the cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Two Australian tourists, two European Union officials and a group of Polynesian environmental and tourism officials were among those on board, according to the High Commission for the territory.

Rescue workers, helped by French navy ships and local fishing boats, have recovered 17 bodies including that of the pilot, a local official, Jacques Witkowski, told RTL radio.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on holiday in the US, issued a statement expressing his condolences.

"I want to assure the families of the victims, the whole of Polynesia, and the Australian and European authorities, that I share their emotion and hurt," he said.

The secretary of state for France's overseas territories, Christian Estrosi, is being sent to the region to show the government's solidarity.