Two people are dead after the crash of a small plane near Kamsack, Sask.

RCMP said a four-seater Piper had just taken off from the Kamsack airport Sunday night and was heading north when it ran into difficulty and hit the ground near the runway.

Dead at the scene were prominent Saskatoon laser eye surgeon Jim Underhill, 50, and a male passenger, aged 63.

Also on board were two other men, age 30 and 54, who were sent to a Saskatoon hospital for treatment of undetermined injuries. All four aboard the plane were from Saskatoon, but the names of the passengers have not been released.

RCMP Sgt. Greg Nichol told CBC News that police, ambulance and the fire department arrived on the scene shortly after the crash.

"The plane was fully engulfed in flames," he said. "The fire department put the flames out. There were two deceased persons located in the wreckage including the pilot. Two persons were able to free themselves and escape from the plane before it ignited in flame."

Kamsack is about 270 kilometres northeast of Regina.