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LATIN AMERICA |
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Brazil Locates Missing Plane, 9 Survivors
RIO DE JANEIRO – At least nine of the 11
occupants of the Brazilian air force plane
that disappeared over the Amazon survived an
emergency landing, the military said Friday.
“Of the 11 occupants of the plane, one is
missing and there are indications of a
possible death. The other nine are fine,”
the air force said in a statement.
The Cessna C-98 Caravan made a forced
landing on Thursday morning in the Amazon
jungle along the Itui River between the
villages of Aurelio and Rio Novo, the air
force said.
The aircraft was found Friday morning by
Matis Indians and, with the location they
provided, was spotted from the air by an air
force C-105 Amazonas.
The air force said it began the rescue
operation with the same eight aircraft that
had been searching for the missing plane:
two Black Hawk helicopters, a KC-130
Hercules airplane, an SC-95 Bandeirante
plane, two C-105 Amazonas and an R-99, all
of the air force, plus an army Super Cougar
helicopter.
The missing airplane lost contact with air
traffic control on Thursday morning as it
was flying between the cities of Cruzeiro do
Sul in Acre state and Tabatinga in the state
of Amazonas.
Aboard the aircraft were four crew members
and seven officials of the Health Ministry
who were taking part in a campaign to
vaccinate Indians in some 50 villages in the
Amazon region.
The Cessna C-98 Caravan has room for 14
people on board and is generally used to
carry passengers and cargo on short flights.
EFE
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