A seven-year-old girl has walked away from a plane crash in Kentucky that killed four people.

The disoriented and distraught child left the wreckage of the Piper PA-34 and told a resident about the crash near Kentucky Lake, a popular tourist attraction, authorities said.

The plane reported engine trouble and lost contact with air traffic controllers as it was flying over the south-western part of Kentucky at about 5.55pm local time yesterday (11.55pm GMT), the Federal Aviation Administration said.

About half an hour later, a man called police and told dispatchers that a seven-year-old girl had walked to his home and said she had been involved in a plane crash, said Sergeant Dean Patterson of Kentucky State Police. “This girl came out of the wreckage herself and found the closest residence and reported the plane crash,” he said. “It’s a miracle in a sense that she survived it, but it’s tragic that four others didn’t.”

The girl was in emotional distress and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. At that point, authorities launched a search for the crash site and also confirmed with the FAA that they had received a distress call.

About two hours later, authorities found the plane in a heavily-wooded area near the lake and discovered four bodies, including the pilot and the three passengers.

The FAA said the plane had taken off from Tallahassee Regional Airport, Florida, and was bound for Mount Vernon, Illinois. Sgt Patterson said the girl indicted that the plane had left from Key West, Florida.