SANTIAGO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A small plane crashed into a house and killed at least six people Tuesday in southern Chile, according to local police.

The accident occurred shortly after the plane took off from the private airfield "La Paloma," located 2 km from a residential area in Puerto Montt city in the Los Lagos region.

The plane belongs to a private company Archipielago, which operates commercial flights, Harry Jurgensen, governor of the Los Lagos region said.

He added that the house in the accident was not inhabited and completely destroyed by fire after the plane full of fuel exploded.

"The flight plan indicated that one pilot and eight passengers were on the plane, but the control tower confirmed there were five passengers plus the pilot," said Jurgensen.

La Paloma airport, the most important airfield in the region, serves passengers and cargo between the Chilean mainland and the Chiloe archipelago, which is about 70 km from the nearest airport on the mainland.