Eight people are believed to be dead after two planes collided over Coeur d’Alene Lake in Idaho and then sank, around 2pm on Sunday, 5th July.

According to Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ryan Higgins, a call came in for two planes that had collided over the lake around 2:20 p.m.

The Lake Coeur d’Alene, officially Coeur d’Alene Lake, is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d’Alene. It spans 25 miles in length and ranges from 1 to 3 miles wide with over 109 miles of shoreline.

According Two victims, both deceased, were recovered from the air crafts before they sank, Higgins said.

The remaining six victims are still unaccounted for but are believed to be dead, Higgins said. They include adults and children but no further details were available.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the collision or how many victims were on each plane, Higgins told CNN. Also it’s unknown what types of planes were involved.

The planes were located by a sonar team in 127 feet of water, Higgins said, and will not be recovered until either Monday or Tuesday.

One aircraft involved in the collision was a Cessna 206, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the collision, Gregor said.

There were several witnesses who either saw or heard the collision or were witness to the aftermath, Higgins said, as many people were boating on the lake during the holiday weekend.

Boaters, swimmers and kayakers can still go out on to the lake but are being asked to avoid the area.

The Sherriff’s Office is asking people to be patient as this will be a multi-day operation. They will be using a barge to lift pieces of the plane out of the lake.