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An ATR-42 twin-engine turboprop operated by Conviasa has crashed about twelve minutes after takeoff from the airport in Guayana, Venezuela. The plane had at least forty-seven people onboard, and twenty-three passengers were taken to local hospitals. Of those, up to eleven have died. There are some conflicting reports about the number onboard, injured, and deceased, and we will update as more definite numbers come in.
The plane was en route to Margarita Island when it crashed outside the gates of Venezuela’s largest steel mill. The airport’s control tower advised that the captain reported problems controlling the plane after takeoff.
Conviasa is a Venezuelan state-owned airline, based out of Caracas and was established in 2004. It operates four ATR-42s, 3 of the larger ATR-72s, as well as a single Airbus 340, 7 737s, 4 CRJ-700s, and a DHC-7.
The bulk of its service is within Venezuela, but it also serves Cuba, Syria, Iran, Russia, Argentina, Dominica, Grenada, and Spain.
More on this as it develops.
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