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Provincial police say four young people have died in a plane crash in southwest Ontario.

Police say a single engine Cessna crashed around 8:30 p.m. Friday in a cornfield near Moorefield, about 50 kilometres northwest of Kitchener.

All four occupants, three men and one woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Constable Keith Robb said the victims are believed to be young adults in their late teens and 20s. Two of the victims have yet to be officially identified.

Emergency crews were notified about the crash at 8:39 p.m., but Constable Robb said the plane went off the radar 19 minutes earlier. An emergency transponder signal had been activated.

It's unclear how long the plane had been in flight before it crashed.

At this point, the investigation remains in its preliminary stages.

"We don't believe weather was a factor," said Constable Robb. "It was a clear, sunny night."

Bob Connors, the general manager of the Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre, said the plane was a rental.

He said the flight school, which operates out of the Waterloo Region International Airport, had not had a crash like this in a "long, long, long time."

Mr. Connors would not comment on the experience of the pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the coroner's office and provincial police technical services unit have been called in to assist with the investigation. They will remain at the crash site for most of the day.

The victims' bodies will be transported to a hospital in Hamilton later Saturday for autopsies.

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