A Boeing 737 operated by First Air with 15 people on board, four of them crew members, crashed a few kilometers (miles) from Resolute Bay in the Arctic territory of Nunavut, shortly before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT), according to police.

The plane was en route from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay when it crashed. The jet was then scheduled to travel on to Grise Fiord on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island.

"Our investigators are already working there. The black boxes have been located," Transportation Safety Board of Canada spokesman Chris Krepski told AFP.

Investigators have so far refrained from speculating about the causes of the accident.

Reports indicated there was fog in the area when the plane crashed.

AFP