1 dead as Greenpeace plane crashes in Brazil

One person was killed and four others injured when a Greenpeace aircraft crashed in Brazil's Amazon region, a spokesman for the environmental group said.

"We can confirm that one of the five people who were aboard the plane died and that the other four suffered injuries, though not serious," Efe news quoted the spokesman as saying.

The Cessna Caravan 208 Amphibian model aircraft on Tuesday flipped over while attempting to land on the Rio Negro river in the northern state of Amazonas.

Four of the people aboard managed to climb out, but the fifth drowned.

The four survivors were rescued by the crew of the vessel Comandante Natal, which was roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) away when the plane went down.

The ship's crew also righted the aircraft to prevent it from sinking.

Greenpeace said in a statement that the organisation was focused on aiding victims and their families and collaborating with authorities in the investigation of the crash.

The Brazilian Air Force said that it sent a team of investigators to the site to determine the cause of the accident.

--IANS

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