Firemen direct foam onto a light plane after it crashed in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin on June 22, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

SYDNEY – Police in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state said on Friday that four people, including children, are believed to have died after a plane crashed near Canberra.

According to the latest update by NSW Police Force, the Cirrus SR22 aircraft took off from Canberra Airport at about 2:30 pm local time and was traveling to Armidale with four people – a man and three children – who were believed to be on board at the time.

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"They are yet to be formally identified. A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner," said police.

When police arrived with Rural Fire Service (RFS), there was a small grass fire and obviously a catastrophic crash of a small light aircraft.

Cath Bradbury, Superintendent, NSW Police Force  

At about 3:00 pm local time, emergency services responded to a property on Hadlow Drive in Gundaroo, a small village located about 35 km north of Australia's capital Canberra, where the light aircraft had crashed and caught alight.

Local fire authority managed to put out the blaze, but the aircraft was destroyed.

"When police arrived with Rural Fire Service (RFS), there was a small grass fire and obviously a catastrophic crash of a small light aircraft," NSW Police Force Superintendent Cath Bradbury told the media on the heels of the accident.

"The RFS extinguished the plane – unfortunately, there are no survivors," Bradbury confirmed.

Police are working in conjunction with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. A crime scene has been established and is being forensically examined.

The ATSB has launched a transport safety investigation into the fatal incident, noting in a statement that investigators would arrive at the scene on Friday evening to conduct an initial assessment.

Over the coming days, investigators are expected to conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities on site, including site mapping, wreckage examination, and recovery of aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra.

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In addition, investigators will also seek to interview any witnesses and involved parties and collect relevant recorded information, such as flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.

A preliminary report is anticipated to be released in approximately six to eight weeks.