Judge Adriana Morosini (centre) inspects the aircraft (Photo: Pablo Porciuncula/Telam/AFP)
Nine Argentines and one Portuguese woman have been killed after a light aircraft exploded shortly after taking off from Punta del Este in Uruguay last night. The incident, which occurred just before 9pm, resulted in the death of all those on board.
According to sources, the plane – which was headed to San Fernando in northern Buenos Aires – had taken off normally, but minutes later the control tower lost contact, before an explosion was heard.
A number of locals confirmed hearing an explosion, and the fire that consumed the aircraft as it landed in a lake hampered initial rescue efforts. So far, seven of the bodies have been recovered.
Along with the two crew, travelling in the aircraft were various employees of La Rural S.A, who were returning from business meetings.
In a statement, the company said that their current priority was “with the families of the deceased”, and that they are helping Uruguayan authorities with their investigation.
According to the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board, the same Beechcraft King B90 was involved in another serious accident in November 2013, after an undertaking an emergency landing when the landing gear failed to lower. The aircraft suffered “serious damage” in the incident.
Uruguayan authorities, led by Judge Adriana Morosini, are investigating the cause of yesterday’s fatal accident.
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