A plane carrying 46 people has gone missing in Venezuela, the
nation's aviation authority said Thursday.
The Santa Barbara Airlines plane, carrying 43 passengers and
three crew members, took off at 4:59 P.M. local time (2059 GMT)
Thursday from Merida, in southwestern Venezuela, to Maiquetia
airport, 30 km north from Caracas.
But the ATR42-300 twin-engine plane did not arrive at its
destination.
Venezuelan authorities have launched an emergency search and
rescue operation.
Local media reported the plane had crashed in the Andean
mountain state of Merida.
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2008)
