Conviasa plane crashes in Venezuela with 47 on board

A plane belonging to state-run Venezuelan airline Conviasa crashed during a domestic flight today, and there are reports of survivors amongst the 43 passengers and four crew members.

According to transport minister Francisco Garces, rescue teams are headed to the site. The plane, which was traveling to the Caribbean tourist island of Margarita from the city of Ciudad Guayana, is said to have crashed on a property owned by Sidor, a government steel maker. The BBC gave details on the flight and a possible cause for the crash:

Transport Minister Francisco Garces told state television that the aircraft had crashed at about 1000 local time (1430 GMT), some 10km (six miles) from Puerto Ordaz, a suburb of Ciudad Guayana where the airport is located… Mr Garces said the pilots had reported technical problems.

Bolivar State Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez told news channel Telesur that 23 survivors had been taken to local hospitals after the crash. It is not currently clear how many people may have survived the incident.

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