( CNN ) -- All 21 people aboard a military plane that went missing off Chile 's Pacific coast , near the Juan Fernandez islands , are dead , Defense Minister Andres Allamand said Saturday . According to preliminary information , the passengers died instantly on impact , according to Allamand . At least four bodies were found earlier Saturday , one day after the plane went missing . Two of the bodies recovered were female and two were male , government spokesman Andres Chadwick told reporters . The four bodies were flown to the capital , Santiago , where authorities identified the victims . An emergency beacon originally believed to be from the plane was also found Saturday , but is now thought to have belonged to a fishing boat , CNN Chile reported . Gen. Maximiliano Larraechea , secretary general of the air force , earlier told Chile 's state-run broadcaster TVN that one of the plane 's locator devices had been found . TVN quoted him as saying he was almost certain the plane had crashed because of the number of items recovered . The plane tried to land twice before losing contact , Allamand told reporters Friday . Chile 's TVN Executive Director Mauro Valdes said five of the passengers were employees of the television station , including Felipe Camiroaga , a well-known and popular TV personality . The country 's president , Sebastian Pinera , vowed to investigate the circumstances of the crash . `` This is a tough blow to our country , but it is precisely these moments of anguish and uncertainty that require the unity and solidarity of all Chileans , '' CNN Chile reported the president said Friday . CNN 's Mariano Castillo and Umaro Djau contributed to this report .
NEW : Four bodies -- two male and two female -- are identified in Santiago , an official says . The first body was found Friday morning at the airport where a U.S. citizen had been traveling with her husband to visit family. The plane disappeared near the Juan Fernandez islands Friday . Felipe Camiroaga , a popular TV personality , was among the passengers .