Colombian authorities have recovered the bodies of the three Mexicans and one Colombian who died in a helicopter crash in the rural area of Trujillo in southern Colombia’s Valle del Cauca department last week, reports El Espectador.
The bodies of Mexican passengers Israel Vega Castillo, Concepcion Carrillo Valdez and Ernesto Carranza Rodriguez were taken to Marco Fidel Suarez Aviation School in Cali where preparations are being made to repatriate the cadavers back to Mexico.
The helicopter was travelling between Panama and Peru on Saturday evening when it disappeared 20 miles west of the city of Tulua.
The recovery of the bodies was a result of a combined effort from the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, the national police, army, civil defense, the Red Cross, and firefighters from Trujillo.
Bad weather and inhospitable terrain hindered the search as ground teams made their way to the crash site.
The helicopter was last seen by Colombian air traffic control about 40 km northwest of Tulua, on November 13 at 3:48PM. The causes of the accident are still unknown and will be investigated by the aeronautical authority.