Ten people were killed and four others injured yesterday when a propeller aircraft crashed on a hill near El Puente in eastern Guatemala, officials said. "The accident happened on a hill near this village when the TG-JES flight crashed for unknown reasons. According to preliminary information, at least 14 people were aboard," said volunteer fire department spokesman Carlos Salazar. Nine Americans and five Guatemalans were travelling aboard the aircraft, said civil aeronautics agency director Juan Jose Carlos.
He added that five of the fatalities were US citizens, the other five were Guatemalans, including the pilot and co-pilot. The four survivors, all Americans, were flown to Guatemala City hospitals, Mr Salazar said. One of the survivors, Sarah Jensen, 19, said her parents, brother and other Americans on the flight had just flown into Guatemala from the US state of Wisconsin to take part in a US government-run humanitarian program in Guatemala. Ms Jensen's brother and father were killed in the crash, and her mother had serious burns and contusions.
The aircraft, belonging to Aeroruta Maya company, was flying from the Guatemala City suburb of La Aurora to El Estor, in northern Izabal department, when it crashed on a hill near El Puente, in eastern Zacapa department. Aeroruta Maya manager Richard Calloway said the pilot landed on a flat area but apparently lost control when the aircraft hit a pothole. A preliminary report by the civil aeronautics agency said the pilot reported some mechanical failure before radio contact broke off at 3.40pm GMT.
Mr Calloway said the aeroplane was a single-engine, Cessna Caravan 208 with a capacity for 12 passengers and two crew members. It was five or six years old and had all safety inspections up to date. * AP
