14 killed in Colombia plane crash

At least 14 people including a minor have been killed in a plane crash in Colombia, officials said.

According to officials, the Laser Airlines DC-3 aircraft crashed on Saturday in the Colombian department of Meta, Efe news reported.

In a tweet, Colombia's Defensa Civil said police, air force, army personnel, and volunteers from Meta had recovered 14 bodies from the wreckage of the airplane, which crashed in La Bendicion village.

The country's Civil Aeronautics (civil aviation agency) posted a list on Twitter confirming the people who were aboard the plane, including the three crew members, pilot Jaime Carrillo, co-pilot Jaime Herrera and aviation technician Alex Moreno.

Among the passengers were the mayor of Taraira, a municipality in the department of Vaupes, Doris Villegas, her husband, Alejandro Fonseca, and their daughter.

Lt. Fernando Martinez, coordinator of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) in Villavicencio, the capital of Meta, initially told reporters that 12 people had died.

"We have a consolidated (figure) of 12 people dead," Martinez said.

According to Civil Aeronautics, the plane was en route from San Jose del Guaviare town, capital of the department of Guaviare, to Villavicencio.

Martinez said Red Cross personnel and firefighters were sent to the accident site.

A probe to look into the probable causes of the crash is underway.

--IANS

pgh/bc