THE Irish man killed on board a plane in New Zealand yesterday was named as 26-year-old Patrick Byrne from Gorey, Co Wexford.

Byrne was one of nine passengers who lost their lives when the aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Fox Glacier Airport on the South Island.

The Department of Foreign Affairs was yesterday offering assistance to the family of the deceased, who had been in the country for a number of weeks with friends when the tragedy occurred.

The plane was owned by a skydiving company and is understood to have crashed shortly after take-off at around 1.15pm local time.

A spokesman for the New Zealand police said: "There were five New Zealanders on board plus a national each from Australia, Ireland, Germany and the UK.

"The embassies of each overseas victim have been informed and relatives are in the process of being advised."

The Fletcher fixed-wing aircraft is a popular model for scenic flights and skydiving.

An eyewitness described the plane as being like a "fire ball" after impact.

Fox Glacier is located in the country's Southern Alps area, 90 miles from Christchurch.