Four people were rescued after their small private plane crashed into a forest after takeoff from Kagoshima airport on Friday evening, but two of them later died at a hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture, police said.
Satoru Kaneko, 46, president of Kanasaki Kensetsu, a Fukuoka-based construction company and owner of the aircraft, and Ryoichi Maruta, 40, were pronounced dead Saturday at Hitoyoshi General Hospital.
Tomoki Kaneko, Kaneko's 17-year-old son, and Yoshihisa Muranaka, 36, suffered injuries, Kumamoto Prefectural Police said. Maruta and Muranaka were friends of the Kaneko family from Fukuoka.
Tomoki suffered fractures to both cheek bones and serious bruising to his chest, while Muranaka's ribs were fractured and he sustained damage to his internal organs, according to the police.