6 Nov 2010

No survivors from plane crash in Cuba

7:56 am on 6 November 2010

All 68 people on board a passenger plane that crashed in central Cuba were killed, the country's civil aviation authority has said.

The aircraft, belonging to the state-run Aerocaribbean airline, was flying from the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to the capital Havana when it went down, according to state media.

The French-built ATR twin turboprop crashed late on Thursday near the town of Guasimal in Santi Spiritus province, with 61 passengers and seven crew on board.

Rescuers had to use a bulldozer to plough through thick vegetation to reach the crash site.

The passengers reportedly included 28 foreigners - including people from Latin American, Europe and Japan.

The twice-weekly flight had originated in Port-au-Prince in Haiti and stopped over in Santiago.

The pilot reported an emergency before contact was lost.

Oil officials die in Karachi crash

A charter aircraft carrying staff from an Italian oil company has crashed minutes after take-off in the Pakistani city of Karachi, killing all 21 people on board.

The pilot of the twin engine turboprop operated by Pakistani charter JS Air reported engine trouble, then nose-dived near a military depot, bursting into flames on Friday, AFP reports.

Pakistan's civil aviation authority has blamed the crash on a technical fault.

A military spokesperson says the plane, which split in two, was gutted.

The passengers were employed by the oil company ENI.