THOMPSON, Man. - A plane crash in the northern Manitoba community of Thompson on Tuesday evening has sent eight people to hospital.

The Transportation Safety Board says a Piper PA-31 Navajo airport operated by Keystone Air crashed just after leaving the airport.

TSB spokesman Chris Krepski says the twin-engine plane went down at about 7 p.m. about two kilometres from the airport.

He says the two pilots and six passengers suffered various injuries but had no immediate information on the severity.

Krepski added that it was too early to speculate on what caused the crash, saying weather conditions and other factors would be part of the investigation.

He said a TSB team would leave for the scene Wednesday morning.

Keystone Air, which operates eight aircraft out of its headquarters in St. Andrews, Man,. says it offers cargo, passenger, and executive transportation throughout North America.