Plane carrying 46 believed crashed in Venezuela

By Frank Jack Daniel

CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan passenger plane with 46 people aboard went missing and likely crashed in a remote mountain region soon after taking off from an Andean city just before dusk on Thursday, authorities said.

Mountain villagers reported hearing a huge noise they thought could be a crash after the twin-engine plane flew out of the high-altitude city of Merida headed for the capital Caracas roughly 500 km away, Civil Defense official Gerardo Rojas said.

"We have information of a possible finding," said National Civil Defense chief Antonio Rivero, although he added the plane was still officially listed as missing.

"We do not know what condition the passengers are in," he said.

Operated by local airline Santa Barbara, flight 518 had been out of contact with air traffic controllers for hours by late Thursday and search teams were heading to the rugged mountain region where the plane was thought to have come down.

Advance rescue teams traveled toward the Paramo Mifafi valley, a chilly area in a region of some snow-capped peaks of up to 4,000 meters that is home to condors and hiking routes that make it popular with backpacker tourists.

Weather conditions and visibility were described as optimum at the time of take off by one air rescue official. He said teams would search by foot until first light, when two helicopters would be dispatched.

Venezuela's civil aviation authority said the plane was carrying 43 passengers and three crew members. The passenger list included a well-known Venezuelan political analyst and relatives of a senior government official, authorities said.