Five people were killed on Aug. 3 after a small plane crashed in western Canada's British Columbia province, officials said.

Two men survived the crash aboard the twin engine aircraft, which happened along the northern shoreline of Vancouver Island.

They were rescued hours after search teams received text messages one of the survivors sent to a friend with the whereabouts of the crash site.

One was in good condition while the other was injured, according to Lt.-Cmdr. Gerry Pash of the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center.

The plane, which belongs to Pacific Coastal Airlines, left Port Hardy on route to Chamiss Bay just after 7 a.m. local time (14:00GMT) and was reported missing three hours later.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, officials said.