A desperate search is underway for a Florida couple and their two grandchildren after the family’s small private plane crashed into the water while they were returning home from a Bahamas vacation.
Bahamian authorities said they received a report at about 2:20 p.m. Monday that a five-seat PA-34 Piper aircraft headed for Opa-locka, Florida, had gone down roughly 13 miles west of Andros Island.
The plane had departed Great Harbor Cay earlier that day.
On board were pilot Mario Lamar, 80, his wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and two of their grandchildren, 28-year-old Sofia Sosa and 22-year-old Christian Sosa, according to the family.
The Miami couple and their grandchildren had spent Labor Day weekend at the family’s home in Great Harbor Cay before heading back to Florida.
“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” Silvia Larrieu, a niece of Mario and Lili, told the Miami Herald. “They were coming home.”
FlightAware data reportedly showed the aircraft’s speed changing rapidly before its altitude suddenly dropped from about 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in just three minutes.
The plane then disappeared from radar.
The flight had also traveled through rough weather near the northern end of Andros Island, which family members said initially made it difficult for Bahamian authorities to begin searching the area.
Larrieu issued an emotional plea for help as the search continued.
“Please help,” she said in a video statement. “I ask anybody out there, if you can help with search and rescue efforts, we would greatly appreciate it. We need to bring them home.”
The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting Bahamian authorities in the search and has deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, the agency said.
Mario Lamar was an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience, his family told ABC News.
The missing grandchildren had also recently reached major milestones in their lives.
Sofia Sosa recently graduated from Wake Forest University, while her brother, Christian Sosa, recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University, according to ABC News.
The family remains missing as search crews continue working to locate the aircraft and the four people who were on board.
