Crash survivor spends 24 hours in the sea

SAN JOSE - A US tourist was rescued off Costa Rica's Pacific coast on Wednesday after his small plane crashed and he floated in the sea for nearly 24 hours, the Costa Rican security ministry said.

William Slater was one of six people missing after the small plane took off on Tuesday afternoon from a runway in Esterillos, southwest of the Costa Rican capital, and disappeared, officials said. His home state was not known.

"Slater had jumped out before the plane went down at sea and had been floating for nearly 24 hours," said Nicolas Aguilar, a spokesman for the security ministry.

Slater was picked up 3.2km from the Pacific coast beach of Herradura and taken to hospital for treatment of dehydration and minor injuries.

Authorities were still searching for four other US passengers, a Mexican and the Costa Rican pilot.

The plane, a single-engine Cessna with a US license, was believed to have gone up for a skydiving outing, although weather conditions were poor, officials said.

It was the second air accident in Costa Rica within days. Three people died when a small plane crashed on Friday.

- REUTERS