- A plane crashed into a Tennesse lake on Saturday morning, officials said.
- The seven people who were on board including a controversial diet guru are presumed dead, USA Today reported.
- Officials are investigating and recovery efforts are underway.
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A small jet crashed into a Tennessee lake Saturday morning and officials said the seven passengers that were on board are presumed dead.
The Cessna 501 aircraft crashed into Percy Priest Lake after departing from Smyrna Airport in Tennessee just before 11 a.m, according to the Rutherford County Fire & Rescue. It was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
Officials released the names of the seven people who were on the plane, including Christian diet guru, Gwen Lara and her husband Joe Lara, according to WTVF. Lara is the founder of the controversial Remnant Fellowship Church located in Brentwood, Tennessee that takes a religious approach to dieting, USA Today reported.
Lara's daughter sent out a message to other members of the church, stating that the plane "had to go down for a controlled, quick landing," according to WTVF.
-Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) May 29, 2021
The Rutherford County Fire & Rescue provided two updates on Sunday morning stating that multiple law enforcement agencies are on the scene investigating the debris and recovery efforts are underway.
"Dive teams from Rutherford County Fire Rescue (RCFR), Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management, Metro Nashville Police Department, and Wilson County Emergency Management have recovered several components of the aircraft as well as human remains," the statement said.
In addition, "drone operations continue over the debris field" which is an estimated half a mile wide, officials said in the statement. Officials plan to continue operations on the scene on Monday.