페루 비행기 추락사망 최소37

요즈음 비행기 추락은 남미 쪽 그것도 절글 지대로,

그 와중에도 승무원 2명 포함 52명의 생존자가 있다고...

Dozens die in Peruvian plane crash

Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Posted: 0401 GMT (1201 HKT)

Some police officers investigate the wreckage of a Peruvian airliner that crashed near Pucallpa.
Image:

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LIMA, Peru -- A Peruvian passenger plane carrying 100 people has crashed in a jungle a few kilometers short of its planned destination at Pucallpa's airport, killing at least 37 people, according to Peruvian officials.

TANS airline said 52 people had survived the crash, 50 passengers and two crew members, but said it could not provide an exact toll of deaths and injuries because victims were taken to three hospitals.

Those with minor injuries may even have slipped away and gone home, TANS said.

The airline said the pilot, who did not report mechanical problems, apparently was trying to make an emergency landing during stormy weather Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier, Peruvian officials said between 37 and 40 bodies were pulled from the wreckage before rescue efforts were halted. They were to resume in the difficult terrain at daybreak.

Airline spokesman Jorge Belevan said the Boeing 737, which left Lima with eight crew members and 92 passengers, went down at 3:06 p.m. (8:06 p.m. GMT) -- 10 minutes before it was to arrive at the airport, about 480 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of Lima. The flight takes about an hour.

Belevan said among those aboard were 11 Americans, two Italians, one Spaniard, one Colombian and one Australian.

Three of the passengers were children, he said.

According to a report from The Associated Press, the plane circled the airport until attempting to make the emergency landing.

The AP quoted local officials and radio reports that said the plane crashed near a highway, indicating the pilot was trying to land on the roadway.

A man identifying himself as William Zea, a passenger on the plane, told CPN radio that the plane "suffered some malfunction and we went down," AP reports.

Tomas Ruiz, another passenger, told Radioprogramas: "It seems it was a matter of the weather. Ten minutes before we were to land in Pucallpa the plane began to shake a lot."

Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo appeared on national television Tuesday to urge citizens to show "courage and solidarity with those involved" and affected by the crash.

A plane was to bring medical and other supplies Wednesday to the accident scene to aid rescue efforts.

Another TANS plane was to carry family members to the area, the airline said.

Pucallpa is a river city in eastern Peru with a population of more than 150,000.

In January 2003, a TANS airline crashed in Peru's northern jungle, killing more than 40 people.