Actor Christian Oliver,Desmond Preston his two young daughters and the pilot of a small plane are dead after the aircraft crashed into the Caribbean Sea, authorities said Friday. 

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said in a statement that Oliver, 51, identified in the statement by his real name Christian Klesper, and daughters Madita. 12, and Annik,10, were on board the small plane. The pilot was identified as area resident and plane owner Robert Sachs. The U.S. State Department said Sachs was also an American. 

Representatives for Oliver also confirmed his death, telling CBS News in a statement that their "thoughts and prayers are with him, his two daughters and his family." 

The police force said that the plane had crashed into the sea about a mile off the coast of Petit Nevis sometime after midday. The plane was traveling to St. Lucia, about 65 miles away, authorities said, but moments after taking off, it "experienced difficulties and plummeted into the ocean." 

Local fishermen and divers approached the scene after the crash, officials said. Divers recovered the bodies, according to authorities, and transferred them to the members of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard that had arrived on the scene. 

All four people on the plane were confirmed dead by a medical practitioner, authorities said. Post-mortem examinations will determine the causes of death. 

The plane crash remains under investigation, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said. The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority told CBS News that it is "currently in the process of gathering information to assist in the investigation." 

The State Department said it is providing "all appropriate consular assistance" to the families of the victims. 

Oliver, who was born in Germany and is best known for the 2008 film "Speed Racer," posted on New Year's Day that he and his family were "somewhere in paradise." 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christian Oliver (@christianoliverofficial)

He also appeared in the films "The Good German" and "Valkyrie," according to his website.

According to his iMDB page, Oliver will appear in two upcoming movies. One, "London Blue," is in post-production but does not yet have a release date. The other film, "Forever Hold Your Peace," is still in production. The film's director, Nick Lyon, said in an Instagram post that the film had recently finished filming. 

"We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it," Lyon wrote, adding this was the fifth project they had worked on together. "Thank you for being a great colleague, actor and friend." 

In:
• Caribbean
• Plane Crash

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

Twitter