VERACRUZ, Mexico: Five people are dead following the crash of a small plane in Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

Two men were injured in the crash.

The Veracruz state civil defence office says the plane took off from the port of Tampico in the neighbouring state of Tamaulipas and was bound for the port of Veracruz.

The office says the plane crashed late Thursday in a rural area near the coast. The cause is still under investigation.

Authorities say weather does not appear to have played a role in the accident. --AFP