NATASHQUAN, Quebec — Three passengers were killed and the pilot severely injured in a small plane crash in northeastern Quebec on Saturday.

The plane crashed Saturday near Natashquan, Que., north of Anticosti Island, said Mike Bonin, spokesman for the rescue co-ordination centre in Halifax.

Two search-and-rescue technicians from a coast guard helicopter arrived at the site late Saturday after hiking through the mountainous area.

The pilot of the De Haviland Turbo Otter survived the crash. A Hercules aircraft was sent to a nearby community to borrow a Jaws of Life from a fire department to pry him out of the plane.

The man's injuries were not considered life threatening, RDI, Radio-Canada's all-news network, reported Sunday.

The men had been on a hunting trip and were travelling to Aguanish River, Que. at the time of the accident.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, said Bonin.