ANCHORAGE, Alaska: A floatplane carrying fishing guides and clients crashed Tuesday near a scenic lake in rural southwest Alaska, killing three of the out-of-state clients and injuring all seven other people on board, some critically, authorities said.

The plane was taking off to head to a remote fishing spot in a river when it went down outside the tiny town of lliamna, 282 km southwest of Anchorage, National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson said.

The aircraft — a De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter on floats — belonged to an lliamna fishing lodge. It ended up in some trees near Eastwind Lake, 1.6 km north of town.

Alaska State Troopers identified the dead as Tony W. Degroot, 80, of Hanford, California; James P. Fletcher, 70, of Clovis, California; and James Specter, 69, of Shavertown, Pennsylvania. Their bodies were recovered and were being sent for an autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office, troopers said.

The three were staying as clients at the Rainbow King Lodge, which owned the plane, Johnson said. Calls to the business went unanswered. The Alaska Air National Guard flew six of the more seriously injured survivors to Anchorage.