Santiago, Chile: Just hours after a devastating plane crash in Brazil that claimed 62 lives, tragedy struck again in Chile, where a small aircraft crashed, killing all seven people on board, including the pilot.
The Piper Navajo aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at 9:13 a.m. local time, shortly after taking off from Coyhaique, a city located approximately 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) south of Santiago. The Chilean Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) confirmed that the pilot and six passengers perished in the crash.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the accident. Rodrigo Araya, the presidential delegate for the region, announced that an investigation would be conducted by the prosecutor’s office and the Forensic Medical Service to uncover what led to the fatal incident.
Recovery efforts are being hampered by challenging weather conditions in the mountainous region where the plane went down. Army General Mario Sepulveda warned that an incoming weather front, which could bring snow, might delay the retrieval of the victims’ bodies by several days.
This incident comes on the heels of a separate tragedy in Brazil, where a passenger plane plummeted to the ground, killing all 61 people aboard on the same day. The back-to-back aviation disasters have cast a shadow over the region, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into both crashes.
61 Killed in São Paulo Plane Crash
A passenger plane carrying 61 people crashed near São Paulo on Friday, killing everyone on board. The ATR 72-500 aircraft, which plummeted 17,000 feet in just one minute, burst into flames upon impact. Contact was lost with the plane at 9:13 a.m. (1313 GMT). All 57 passengers and four crew members, all Brazilian nationals, were killed. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
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