A small plane crashed in Riverside County near Los Angeles, killing two people on board, aviation authorities said on Thursday.

The single-engine plane took off from Corona Municipal Airport in Southern California after 11 a.m. local time Wednesday and crashed later near Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, said Ian Gregor, spokesman of Federal Aviation Administration.

It remained unknown what time the plane crashed or under what conditions, Gregor said.

The wreckage was discovered at about 6:40 p.m. local time by a friend of the victims, who flew over the area searching for the plane, Gregor said.

Riverside County firefighters reached the wreckage early Thursday morning and found two bodies.

The victims' names have not been released pending notification of kinsfolk.

Source: Xinhua