Wellington (New Zealand), June 06: A charter plane carrying 10 people crashed today, killing at least seven, emergency services said. Two people were in serious condition and one person was missing, Christchurch airport chief executive officer George Bellew told national radio.

The piper chieftain plane went ``off radar'' at around 7 pm local time (1230 ist), Bellew said.

The wreckage was found about four kilometres northwest of the airport, 2 1/2 hours after it went missing.

The small plane departed from Palmerston north on New Zealand's north island to Christchurch, on the south island. It was believed to have been on an executive charter flight, New Zealand Press Association reported.


The crashed plane was found near a timber yard. Two ambulances and one helicopter had rushed to the scene.

Weather conditions hampered search efforts and residents who lived near the airport did not report hearing a crash or fire.
Senior constable John Fittock from the Christchurch airport said that the plane had been ``very close'' to landing when it went off radar.

Christchurch is a city of 400,000 on the east coast of New Zealand's south island, some 350 kilometres southeast of the capital, Wellington.
Bureau Report