20 Feared dead after plane crashed into a river in Brazil’s Amazon jungle
Four people survived but 20 were missing and feared dead after a small Brazilian-made Bandeirante turboprop plane crashed into the Manacapuru river, a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil’s Amazon jungle during bad weather on Saturday.
The missing included four babies, Paulo Roberto Pereira, a spokesman for regional charter airline Manaus Aero Taxi, told local media.
According to Manaus Aeorotaxi’s passenger list, the plane was carrying 17 adults, seven children and two crew members, local media reported.
Authorities said the plane took off Saturday from Coari, about 225 miles (362 kilometers) southwest of Manaus, and fell into the Manacapuru river.
Civil Defense Coordinator Daniel Guedes told O Coariense, a local Coari newspaper, that the plane was trying to make an emergency landing on a make-shift landing strip.
“The circumstances and causes of the accident are still not known and are being investigated by authorities,” Manaus Aerotaxi said in a statement.