The crash site of an airplane has been discovered in central Colombia after it disappeared from radar screens at midday on Thursday, government authorities reported on Friday.
The Colombian Air Force (FAC) has released the first images of the remains of the plane, which lost contact with ground control flying between Villavicencio, capital of the state of Meta, and Florencia, capital of Caqueta, on Thursday.
A command center was created in San Vicente del Caguan in Caqueta, with successful reconnaissance missions from two army helicopters discovering the crash site on Friday morning.
According to the FAC, the plane had five people aboard, two pilots and three passengers, but as of yet there are no confirmed reports as to whether there have been any survivors.
Difficult weather conditions, potentially the cause of the crash according to Semana magazine, have impeded the recovery of the plane and any potential survivors. However once conditions improve recovery efforts will be carried out by helicopter with medical personnel on board, according to the FAC.
The plane was a twin engine DC3 which was used to transport food around the state of Caqueta.
The pilots have been named as Alfonso Andrade and Alfredo Moya, Semana reported.
Sources
- Primeras imágenes de avión accidentado en el Caguán (Semana)
- Fuerza Aérea lidera las operaciones de rescate de aeronave de Aliansa (FAC)