Minnesota couple identified from plane crash in North Cascades



BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The Whatcom County medical examiner's office says two bodies found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in northern Washington state have been confirmed to be those of a Minnesota couple.

The Bellingham Herald reports (http://is.gd/KDPvde ) the medical examiner said Friday that 62-year-old Robert Nevalainen and 58-year-old Gail Nevalainen died immediately from multiple blunt trauma injuries suffered when their plane crashed into a mountainside last Saturday.

They were reported to be from Kabetogama, Minnesota.

The newspaper says the couple had left International Falls, Minnesota, and had last stopped at Stehekin in Washington state on their way to Orcas Island.

Civil Air Patrol searchers spotted the wreckage on Wednesday and the bodies were recovered that day.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.