Hunt on for crashed 'ghost plane' off Jamaica

Rescuers are continuing to hunt for the wreck of a small plane that crashed off the coast of Jamaica after a mysterious "ghost" flight.

A spokeswoman for the United States Coast Guard said searchers had been unable to confirm whether an apparent debris field spotted was wreckage from the crash, which left two people dead.

Sabrina Laberdesque said a C-130 cargo plane had picked out possible debris from the downed aircraft but had been flying at too high an altitude to confirm if it was definitively the crash site.

The C-130 plane had deployed flares but by the time rescuers reached the site there was no sign of debris, Laberdesque told AFP.

"At this stage we are still searching," she said.

Friday's drama prompted coordination between longtime foes Cuba and the United States after the seven-seater plane flew south over the communist island and across the Caribbean, ignoring calls from air traffic control.

The pilot was seen "unconscious and slumped over" in the cockpit, according to reports.

Real estate entrepreneur Larry Glazer and his wife Jane were killed in the crash, according to officials from the town of Rochester, New York.