Seaplane crash kills one, leaves nine missing

     A Coast Guard helicopter could be seen flying overhead the plane crash on Sunday. (Credit: Fox News)

One person died while eight more people, including a child, went missing after the float plane they were travelling in crashed at Mutiny Bay, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington, on Sunday, said officials from the US Coast Guard.

One body has been recovered from the spot. Various agencies, such as the Island County Sheriff, Snohomish County Sheriff and the Coast Guard, have been pressed into service at Mutiny Bay to find the missing persons.

The US Coast Guard tweeted that the plane was flying from Friday Harbour, a popular tourist destination in the San Juan Islands, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The crash happened in Mutiny Bay, off Whidbey Island, about 65 kilometres north-west of Seattle.

The Coast Guard said it received a report of the crash around 3:11 pm (10:11pm Irish time) and dispatched helicopters and boats to scour the area. Local search and rescue officials were also on the scene.

“One deceased individual was recovered by crews on scene. Nine individuals remain unaccounted for, and a safety zone has been put into effect to help facilitate search efforts,” the coast guard said in a statement, adding that no cause for the crash had yet been determined.

On its way to Renton Municipal Airport, which is close to Seattle, the jet crashed.

The 55-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, a single-engine propeller plane, sent its last signal at 100 feet (30.5 metres) of altitude at 3:08 p.m. local time, according to flight tracking website Flight Radar 24.

Eight adults and one child were on board, according to a tweet from the Coast Guard's Pacific Northwest region. They were looking for 10 passengers, according to a later tweet.