One person has died and another seriously injured following a plane crash at Welshman's Creek, northeast of Middlemarch, this morning.
Police have recently confirmed one person died in the crash involving a light aircraft which was reported overdue at 2pm today.
The injured man was taken to hospital, police said.
The plane, which left Taieri at 10.30am and was destined for Omarama, was discovered by searchers about 4pm.
''Police are working to inform next of kin and our thoughts are with the friends and family of those involved,'' a police spokeswoman said.
Two helicopters were involved in the search.
Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) spokesman Vince Cholewa said the privately-owned single-engine light plane left Taieri with two people on board at 10.30am.
It was due in Omarama at 11.45am and did not arrive. No distress beacon was activated ahead of the crash.
Weather conditions were good, Mr Cholewa said.
The helicopters had flown the planned flight path to see whether they could locate the plane. The crashed plane was not located by the searching helicopter, but by another aircraft.
He said the area where the plane went down was ''rolling, heavily undulating hills''.
RCCNZ was alerted shortly after 11.45am.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokeswoman said the aircraft was a microlight.
She said the CAA would make a decision tomorrow on whether an investigator would travel to the site.
