Tributes have been paid to a British family - including a high-profile businessman who lived in Bucks and an 11-year-old girl - after they were killed in a seaplane crash in Sydney on New Year's Eve.

Richard Cousins, the 58-year-old chief executive of FTSE 100 company Compass Group who had a home in Hyde Heath, near Amersham, died alongside his sons Will and Edward, aged 25 and 23, his fiancée Emma Bowden, 48, and her young daughter Heather while they were on holiday in Australia.

The group were on a return flight to Sydney's Rose Bay, close to Sydney Harbour, when the small aircraft apparently nose-dived into the Hawkesbury River off Jerusalem Bay, 25 miles north of Sydney city centre, at about 3.10pm (4.10am GMT) on Sunday.

A sixth person on board, Sydney Seaplanes pilot Gareth Morgan, 44, also died.

A neighbour to Mr Cousins' Hyde Heath home told Mail Online that his first wife Caroline had died of cancer less than three years ago, saying: "She had told him to find somebody else. The family had gone through the dreadful loss of Caroline."

John Capper, the president of Hyde Heath Cricket Club where Mr Cousins used to play, told the MailOnline: “It’s a terrible shock. The whole village is in mourning. He and Emma were due to marry in July.

“We will miss them hugely. We can’t believe what has happened.”

Mr Cousins and his first wife are believed to have moved to The Chilterns in around 2000, with Mrs Cousins teaching at a nearby school.

Friends and colleagues described Mr Cousins as "well known and respected" after he helped transform Compass' fortunes upon becoming the ailing catering firm's boss in 2006. He had been due to step down from the role in March this year.

Paul Walsh, Compass chairman, said: "It has been a great privilege to know Richard personally and to work with him for the last few years.

"Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain's leading companies."

Mr Cousins' son Will was head of press for campaigners Open Britain, and was described by the group's chairman Roland Rudd as an "extraordinary young man" who would be "missed beyond words".

Investigators with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the aircraft is thought to have "sunk rapidly" upon impact. The bodies of those on board have since been recovered.

About 10 recreational boats were believed to have been in the area at the time of the incident, and police have appealed for anyone who may have seen what happened to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings, head of the New South Wales marine area command, told a press conference the crash "can only be described as a tragic accident".

He added: "These people had come over on holiday to one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and for this to happen at a place like this is just tragic."

Sydney Seaplanes, which has flown passengers including singer Ed Sheeran and Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews, said it was "deeply shocked" by the "tragic accident".

The company has suspended its flights while the crash is investigated.