Jenni Rivera's Death Confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board

Aviation authorities send team to to assist government of Mexico in its investigation of the crash

Beloved entertainer Jenni Rivera has been confirmed dead by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

In a release sent out on Monday, the NTSB stated that all seven people aboard the Learjet LJ25 plane that crashed in northern Mexico on Sunday morning "were fatally injured including Latin singer Jenni Rivera."

The NTSB said it is dispatching investigators to assist the government of Mexico in its investigation of the the accident.

According to the release, "On Dec. 9, 2012 at about 3:30 a.m. local time, the airplane crashed about 70 miles south of Monterrey, Mexico, due to unknown circumstances while en route to Mexico City, Mexico. All 7 persons on board were fatally injured including Latin singer Jenni Rivera."

Earlier Monday, Mexico's transportation minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said the damage was so extensive "there is nothing recognizable, neither material nor human" at the scene, with wreckage "scattered over an area of 250 to 300 meters. It is almost unrecognizable."

Rivera's California driver's license was found among the crash debris recovered.

Rivera had been in Monterrey for a concert appearance. She was reported missing after her plane lost contact with air traffic controllers in Mexico after taking off in Monterrey early Sunday morning.

The superstar's brother, Pedro Rivera Jr., spoke to E! News about the tragedy, saying the family is "devastated."

Members of the family will be heading to Mexico this week to claim the remains and bring back to her home near Los Angeles for burial.

No funeral plans have been announced.