Suriname plane crashes, 19 feared dead - official

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (Reuters) - A plane crashed in a remote gold-mining area of Suriname on Thursday and all 19 people on board were feared dead, the head of the small South American country's aviation authority said.

The plane was believed to be a twin-engine, 18-seater Antonov and run by local airline Blue Wing Airlines in the former Dutch colony that lies on the eastern shoulder of South America, local radio stations reported.

John Veira, Suriname's aviation chief, told local radio there were 17 passengers and two crew on board and that it was unlikely any survived the crash in the sparsely populated south of the country in the area of Benzdorp.

Typically flights in the area ferry passengers working in the gold-mining industry.

The six-year-old airline is based in the capital Paramaribo and has 10 aircraft, including Antonovs, according to a company profile on its Web site www.bluewingairlines.com.

Suriname has a population of around 500,000 and its economy is based mainly on mining.