Jetliner crash-lands in Peru

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A Peruvian jetliner carrying between 94 and 100 people crashed near Pucallpa, Peru on Tuesday at 21:20 UTC. Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo said 70 to 80 had been killed, and other authorities have said at least 40. The Boeing 737-200, operated by military-run airline Tans Peru had attempted an emergency landing on Federico Basadre road in Peru's central jungle. The crash is said to have been caused by bad weather.

"Until now, there are 40 cadavers that rescue teams are pulling from the wreckage. There could be more deaths, we assume some 60 people in total, since we've rescued 20 injured people," said a police office in the nearby town on RPP radio.[1]

The pilot contacted the Pucallpa airport saying he could not land because of strong winds and a heavy storm, said Norma Pasquel, an airport receptionist. When the plane crash-landed, its landing gear had not been released, according to firefighter Ilda Pineda.

The plane was on a flight from Lima to Iquitos via Pucallpa.

Five of the deaths have been confirmed by Berta Garcia, a secretary at Pucallpa's municipal hospital, on RPP radio. She said the bodies of four adults and a small boy had been brought to the hospital.

Tans Peru confirmed the emergency landing, saying several people had been killed or injured.

100 people—92 passengers and eight crew members—were on the plane, said Tans spokesman Jorge Belevan on CPN radio, and his figures were echoed by BBC News. Speaking on the same station, Transportation Minister Jose Ortiz said the plane carried 93 passengers and five crew membmers. Xinhua reported that 94 people were on the plane.

Sources

Carla Salazar. "Peruvian Plane Crashes, at Least 5 Dead" — Newsday.com, August 23, 2005

"At least 40 dead in Peru jungle plane crash-police" — Reuters, August 23, 2005

"Plane crashes in Peruvian jungle" — BBC News, August 23, 2005

"Airliner crashes in Peru's central jungle" — Xinhua, August 23, 2005

"Plane crashes in Peru" — World News Australia, August 24, 2005

Carla Salazar. "Peruvian Plane Crashes; Several Said Dead" — Guardian Unlimited, August 24, 2005

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.