PAPEETE , France ( Reuters ) -- A passenger aircraft ploughed into the sea in French Polynesia on Thursday , killing at least 14 people , with another six still missing , French authorities in Papeete said . A Twin Otter aircraft similar to the Air Moorea plane that crashed Thursday after take-off from Moorea Island . An Air Moorea Twin Otter aircraft with 19 passengers and a pilot on board crashed after taking off from Temae airport in Moorea Island , en route to the local capital , Papeete , a short flight away . Police said 14 bodies , including that of the pilot , had been recovered but no survivors had been found . The search for the remaining passengers was continuing . All but two of the victims were French . A spokeswoman for Air Moorea said all 20 people aboard the aircraft were feared killed . `` We heard a big boom , '' an unidentified fisherman told French television . `` We did n't try to understand , we were just there , we took maybe 30 seconds to get there . We just saw a whole lot of debris on the surface and bodies as well . '' French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement he was `` profoundly saddened '' by the accident and offered his sympathy to the families of the victims . Christian Estrosi , secretary of state for France 's overseas territories , would go to the region to show the government 's solidarity , he said . Television pictures showed police boats at the scene of the accident with divers in the water and emergency workers at temporary posts on the shore . The plane , a Dehavilland Twin Otter aircraft , veered to the right after take-off for the short flight to the main island of Tahiti and crashed into the ocean at around 12:15 p.m. local time ( 2215 GMT ) on Thursday . Aviation authorities said weather conditions were clear . The plane came down one mile from the coast near fishermen , who tried to help those on board , Air Moorea said in a statement . It gave no further details . Moorea is one of around 118 islands scattered across an area the size of Europe in the South Pacific that make up France 's overseas territory of French Polynesia . Authorities in Papeete said the victims included two tourists and two European officials posted to the region , who local media said had been visiting a water purification plant . Moorea is popular with foreign tourists and the crash occurred in the tourist high season . The bodies of all the victims found so far have been taken by French navy personnel to a mortuary . Air Moorea , a subsidiary of domestic airline Air Tahiti , said it had never had an accident in its 35-year history . E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2007 Reuters . All rights reserved.This material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed .
Air Moorea aircraft crashes after takeoff in France , en route to Twin Otter . Police say two bodies recovered ; all 20 people aboard 'feared dead ' Papeete authorities say victims include two tourists and 20 European officials . Christian Estrosi says it had never had an accident in its 35-year history .