Seven passengers and two crew members died in the incident, it said in a statement posted to Twitter. Six were foreign nationals and one was Dominican, it also said, without specifying the nationalities of the other six passengers.

Among the victims was Puerto Rican music producer Jose A. Hernandez, better known as "Flow La Movie," as well as his wife and their child, according to his publicist.

Hernandez was mainly known for his hit song "Te Bote."

His death sparked messages of condolences and commemoration from a number of Puerto Rican and other Latin artists, including superstar J Balvin and famed pop singer Ricardo Montaner.

The flight was en route to Florida from La Isabela International Airport in the Dominican Republic when it made the emergency landing and crashed just 15 minutes after takeoff, according to Flightradar 24.

The long range Gulfstream GIVSP jet was headed to Miami, Helidosa said.

"This accident causes us great pain and grief. We ask that you prudently join in solidarity to support the families affected, who along with us are going through this difficult time," the company's statement added.

The cause of the crash or the emergency landing is not yet known.

Helidosa said that it will collaborate with air traffic accident authorities and the civil aviation board.