4 September 2010 Last updated at 12:40 ET

Irish citizen dies in New Zealand plane crash

Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps, New Zealand Fox Glacier is a popular destination for tourists and sports enthusiasts

An Irish citizen has died in a plane crash in New Zealand.

The light aircraft, owned by a skydiving company, crashed soon after taking off from Fox Glacier on the country's South Island at 1330 local time.

Patrick Byrne, 26, from County Wexford, was one of nine people killed. A British national is also among the dead.

Mr Byrne had been in New Zealand on a working visa.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to his family. It is understood Mr Byrne was from the Brideswell area near Gorey in the Irish Republic.

It is thought to be New Zealand's worst aviation accident since a plane crashed on landing near Christchurch in 2003, killing eight people.

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