6 Bodies Have Been Recovered a Month After Plane Crash That Killed 10, Including Megan Hilty's Family Members
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Officials say six bodies have been recovered from the Puget Sound after a plane crashed in Washington nearly a month ago, killing all 10 people aboard.
The small float plane crashed into Mutiny Bay west of Whidbey Island on Sept. 4, the United States Coast Guard said in a previous news release.
On Friday, Island County Emergency Management said the bodies of six of the victims had been located, according to NBC affiliate KING-TV, the Seattle Times, and CNN.
Five of those victims have been identified, including Gabby Hanna, 29, whose body was recovered by a good Samaritan at the crash site in September, KING-TV reported.
RELATED: Authorities Find Wreckage of the Plane That Crashed Killing Megan Hilty's Family Members
Deputy director Eric Brooks said the coroner would meet with victims' families, per the Times.
Island County Emergency Management and Island County Coroner Robert Bishop did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
National Transportation Safety Board Twitter
Among those who were on board the plane were Lauren Hilty, the sister of Smash actress Megan Hilty, as well as her husband, Ross Mickel, and their son Remy.
The couple's family said "words cannot adequately convey the depth of our grief" in a statement to KING-TV on Thursday.
"The past three weeks have been absolute torture as we continue to anxiously await the retrieval of the plane and, more importantly, our loved ones," the statement says. "Our hope is this retrieval process is successful, but we know this is just the first step on our long, painful road ahead."
Addressing their unexpected deaths last month, Megan wrote in a statement that "to make the news even more devastating, my sister was eight months pregnant and we were expecting to welcome baby boy Luca into the world next month."
"There are truly no words to appropriately convey the depth of our grief," she wrote, noting that the couple were survived by their daughter, who was not on the plane.
"The outpouring of love and support has meant so much to everyone in our family," she added. "It has been so comforting to know just how loved Lauren, Ross, Remy and Luca truly are."
Also killed were pilot Jason Winters, passenger Joanne Mera, civil rights activist Sandra Williams and her partner retired teacher Patt Hicks, and married couple Luke and Rebecca Ludwig.
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About 80% of the aircraft's wreckage has been recovered since crews began the job last Tuesday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday, per KING-TV.
The plane was located off Whidbey Island in mid-September, approximately 190 feet down on the Puget Sound sea floor, according to the NTSB.
In a social media post on Thursday, the NTSB shared images showing the aircraft's engine after it was recovered, as well as the equipment officials are using to assist with recovery operations.
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Search crews are still attempting to locate one of the plane's wings, a portion of its horizontal stabilizer, two elevators, and the ailerons, according to KING-TV.
It could take one to two years for investigators to determine an official cause of the crash, the outlet reported.
