UPDATED: Area Firefighters Part of Plane Crash Rescue Effort

UPDATE: 10:49 a.m. Monday: Suffolk County Police have identified the two men who were killed in the crash, Bayside’s Andrew Messana, 72, and Fresh Meadows’s Cyril McLavin, 51.

UPDATE 9:38 a.m. Sunday: Suffolk County Police have reported that the plane has been pulled from the water and the bodies of two males, whose names are not yet being released, were recovered and taken to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office. 

Previous: Emergency responders from the Westhampton Beach and Hampton Bays Fire Department were called to the scene of a plane that crashed and sank in the Moriches Inlet, just east of the outer beach at Smith Point County Park in Shirley at about 3 p.m.

The firefighters were part of an effort to rescue two cockpit passengers, a man and a woman, who are now presumed to be dead, according to a Newsday article, which stated that water has entered the cockpit.

Suffolk Police have not, however, confirmed the total number of occupants in the aircraft.

According to reports, the plane, a Globe Swift, flying out of Spadaro Airport in East Moriches, reportedly crashed into the water around 3 p.m.

Good Samaritans reportedly tried to open the door and secure the plane before it sank, Suffolk Police said. And Tri Hamlet News.com reports that some witnesses ran for cover when they heard the sputtering of an engine as the airplane nose-dived into the bay.

As of 9 p.m., emergency workers, including dive teams, were still working to pry open the door to the plane, which is 15 to 20 feet under water.

The names of the occupants have not been released.

To read the full report on Newsday, click here. (subscription required)

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.