WELLINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of 16 passengers were recovered after a plane crash in French Polynesia, the French High Commission and emergency services in French Polynesia confirmed.

    According to Oceania Flash, a local media, among the passengers were three foreign tourists, whose nationality and identity have not been established, as well as two officials from the European Commission's Pacific delegation.

    They are Fiji based Michel Gauche, and Jean-Pierre Pierard from Noumea.

    Officials said the plane crashed into the sea soon after its take-off from Moorea, French Polynesia. The flight was bound for Tahiti, 17 km away, at around 12:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT) on Thursday.

    About 20 people (including the pilot) were believed to be aboard the Air Moorea Twin Otter turboprop aircraft.

    A spokesman for Air Traffic Services in Tahiti said the plane went down in good weather and the cause of the crash is not known.

    The domestic Air Moorea Twin Otter, a twin-engine turboprop with 20 people onboard (including the pilot), was operating on the Pape'ete-Moorea domestic route.

    Emergency services deployed on the crash site, including several vessels from the French Navy and two helicopters, are continuing the underwater search for bodies of passengers who have not yet been accounted for.

    French Polynesia's President Gaston Tong Sang has traveled by helicopter to the crash site with two other cabinet members.

    French Polynesia is a sprawling possession of France in the Pacific Ocean, made up of 118 volcanic and coral islands and atolls.

    Moorea is one of French Polynesia's premier tourist destination.