(Updates with fatality, injuries)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A small plane crashed into an apartment building near the Vancouver International Airport on Friday, killing one person and injuring two others, police said.

The twin-engine plane had taken off from the airport on a flight to a nearby community when it hit the ninth floor of the building. It did not spark a fire, but the aircraft's wreckage remained inside the building, police said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the plane was carrying one person, who died in the accident. Two people inside the building were injured, but their conditions were not immediately known.

There was a large hole in the side of the building.

The cause of the accident in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond was not known, but several witnesses told local media the aircraft sounded as if it was having engine trouble before it veered into the building.

The aircraft was on a flight to nearby Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, according to an airport spokeswoman.

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