New York - Police divers, assisted by the US Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday, were expected to bring to the surface the small plane that plunged into the Hudson River after colliding with a sightseeing helicopter last week, killing five Italian tourists and four others, news reports said.

The divers found the wreckage of the plane Monday and one of the still two missing victims, but were not able to retrieve the body, the reports said. The plane and helicopter collided in midair on Saturday above the river, which is on Manhattan's west side.

The divers said that the plane was found in about 20 metres of water with its wings detached. Police divers attached chains and strapped the single-engine plane with the hope of raising it with the help of US army engineers under good weather conditions.

"We're looking for any evidence of any impact, any witness marks, damage to the aircraft that might be consistent with the collision, so we can determine what the impact point is," explained Debbie Hersman, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board.

"The investigators are going to be looking to see if everything was working, if there was power coming from the engine at the time. We are conducting a very thorough investigation. We're going to be looking at everything and documenting everything."

The nine people killed in the collision included five Italian tourists aboard the helicopter. The small plane carried a private pilot, his brother and his 16-year-old nephew. Only seven bodies have been recovered.(dpa)