Five members of the popular Bahamian musical group Da Pond Band have been named among the victims of a deadly small-plane crash in the Bahamas.
The band members were identified through social media tributes and a flight manifest as passengers on a Flamingo Air flight that went down Friday in North Andros.
Authorities said all ten people on board the Cessna 402 were killed. The aircraft had been expected to make a short, roughly 20-minute trip from Nassau to San Andros.
Sources told Eyewitness News that seven of the victims have been identified as Quinton Myers, Mateo Winder, Rashad Storr, Giovanni McKenzie, Travis Johnson, Franklyn Cambridge and Macaro Rolle.
According to the outlet, Cambridge was the pilot of the aircraft when it crashed with nine passengers aboard.
Johnson was identified as one of the band’s singers, while McKenzie was reportedly the group’s keyboard player.
As news of the tragedy spread, fellow band member Shaniese Miller posted on Facebook to reassure followers that she was alive.
Lamar Polhamus, another singer with Da Pond Band, said the group lost five of its members in the crash.
Posting to Facebook, he said: ‘Da Pond Band is mourning a devastating blow not only to us but the entire country. Da Pond Band has lost 5 of its members who were the core, the heart, and the life of the band.
‘This recovery will be long and rough we can only ask for some space, time, support and prayers.’
Da Pond Band are seen here performing on stage, they lost five members in the crash on Friday
The plane that crashed was identified as a Cessna 402 with the registration C6–FLX. Flamingo Air confirmed that it owned the aircraft
A source told CBS News that members of the band were named on the flight manifest, alongside DJ Fresh, real name Melvin Henfield. Tributes have been paid to him on social media.
The plane ‘reportedly encountered difficulties and crashed into bushes prior to landing,’ authorities said.
Footage of the aftermath showed the smoldering wreckage scattered across a wooded area.
The crash came on the day that the Bahamas celebrated its 53rd independence anniversary, with Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis saying the occasion had become ‘a day of mourning.’
‘We gather beneath a cloud of great sorrow,’ Davis said.
‘To every family that has received the devastating news that someone they love will not be coming home, we offer our deepest condolences,’ he added.
Davis initially said that one person survived the wreck, though he later confirmed that the individual had died from their injuries.
Officials identified the plane as a Bahamas–registered Cessna 402 with the registration C6-FLX.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority of The Bahamas said they were continuing to investigate the crash.
Johnson, left, was identified as the singer in the band, McKenzie, right, reportedly played the keyboard for the group
Bandmate Mateo Winder who died in the crash is pictured here on the left alongside DJ Fresh, right, who was named on a flight manifest. Tributes have been paid to him separately
The full lineup of the band is seen here
Video captured of the aftermath of Friday’s crash showed smoky debris strewn across a wooded area
They said: ‘The investigation remains in its preliminary stage. At this stage of the investigation, no determination has been made regarding the cause or contributing factors of the accident.
‘Any information currently available is preliminary and subject to change as additional evidence is obtained and analyzed.’
The Bahamas Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation said in a statement that Flamingo Air’s air operator certificate had been suspended temporarily as a ‘precautionary safety measure.’
The statement added that the suspension ‘should not be treated as an adverse compliance action’ against the airline.
However, it specified that the suspension was also attributed to a second ‘safety incident’ that had occurred that day.
Pilot Franklyn Cambridge also died in the crash after the plane went down
Bahamian authorities said the plane ‘reportedly encountered difficulties and crashed into bushes prior to landing’ on Andros (pictured). The crash is under investigation
During a press conference Friday, Jobeth Coleby–Davis, the Bahamian minister of energy, utilities and aviation, said an issue with a separate Flamingo Air flight had been reported earlier that morning.
Coleby–Davis explained that the plane was flying to Mayaguana when the pilot had concerns and returned to Nassau, according to local outlet The Tribune.
After landing in the country’s capital and evacuating everyone off the plane, the aircraft caught on fire, Coleby–Davis said.
She confirmed that no one had died in that incident, which was being investigated.
Flamingo Air addressed the fatal plane crash while extending condolences to the victims’ families.
‘We can confirm that an aircraft owned by Flamingo Air experienced a fatal crash in the North Andros, Bahamas, area today,’ the company said in a statement reported by the outlet.
The airline added that they were committed to cooperating with the relevant authorities.
