By Moira Warburton
TORONTO (Reuters) - The search for four missing American passengers from a float plane that crashed in remote northeastern Canada is turning into a recovery mission for bodies, police said on Wednesday.
The de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver plane operated by Air Saguenay was found on Tuesday crashed a mile offshore in Mistastin Lake in northern Labrador. Of seven people aboard, three were confirmed dead including the pilot and two fishing guides, all Canadians.
The remaining four were expected to be found in the submerged wreckage of the plane, said Jean Tremblay, president of Air Saguenay, a small regional charter airline based in Quebec.
"The hope for our finding the missing persons alive is very low," Tremblay said.
The plane was travelling to a remote fishing camp on Mistastin Lake and was expected to return to the main fishing lodge on Monday night. The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Canadian Transport Safety Board.
This was the third crash of Air Saguenay planes since 2010. Four people were killed and two were injured in 2010 when a plane crashed due to poor weather conditions in Quebec.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)