Two pilots died as an aircraft crashed east of Stratford in South Taranaki, New Zealand, late Tuesday, said the Maritime Safety Authority.

It told Xinhua the plane had been reported missing from radar by Christchurch air traffic control at about 10:20 pm local time, and the staff of the Maritime Safety Authority have "discovered two bodies at the sea."

An official of Maritime Safety Authority said the aircraft belongs to the New Zealand Post.

The New Zealand Post confirmed that one of its Metroliner aircraft was missing on a flight between Wellington and Auckland.