Wreckage of missing plane spotted in Venezuela, all onboard feared dead
CARACAS, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) — The wreckage of the missing Venezuelan plane was spotted by helicopter on Friday, with all 46 people on board feared dead, officials said.
The impact was direct. The aircraft is practically pulverized, firefighter Jhonny Paz told the Venezuelan television station Globovision. Officials believe there were no survivors, he said.
The wreckage was located about 10 km from the airport in the Andean city of Merida, from where the plane departed. Rescue teams have been sent to the location to find out the exact condition of the plane.
The Santa Barbara Airlines plane, carrying 43 passengers and three crew members, took off at 4:59 p.m. local time (2059 GMT) Thursday from Merida, in southwestern Venezuela, to Maiquetia airport, 30 km north of Caracas.
But the ATR42-300 twin-engine plane did not arrive at its destination.
Local media reported the plane had crashed in the Andean mountain state of Merida, citing mountain villagers who heard a huge noise.
The roughly 20-year-old plane was well maintained and had no record of technical problems, Jorge Alvarez, head of Santa Barbara, a small Venezuelan airline that has seven flights a day, told Globovision.
He said the pilot had worked with the airline for eight years and received special training for flying in the Andes.
Tags: cate, helicopter