A North Dakota Senate leader says a state senator, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah. Doug Larsen's death, along with the death of his wife Amy and their two young children, was confirmed Monday in an email that Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue sent to his fellow senators.

A state senator from North Dakota, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah, a Senate leader said Monday.

Doug Larsen’s death was confirmed Monday in an email that Republican Senate Majority Leader David Hogue sent to his fellow senators and was obtained by The Associated Press.

The plane crashed Sunday evening shortly after taking off from Canyonlands Airfield about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Moab, according to a Grand County Sheriff’s Department statement posted on Facebook. The sheriff’s office said all four people on board the plane were killed.