The five included the plane's pilot and four Sun Princess cruise ship passengers, who were on the second day of a weeklong, round-trip cruise from Seattle, Washington..

When the single-engine DeHavilland Beaver did not return, rescue helicopters were dispatched to the location of the flight seeing route. These helicopters subsequently spotted the float plane which crashed in rugged terrain.

"We are devastated to report that our passengers and the plane's pilot perished in the accident, our shoreside care team is doing everything possible to help their families through this difficult tragedy, and we share in their grief, " spokeswoman Julie Benson said.

The passengers were among 1,950 people aboard the Sun Princess.

cnn.com