Eight dead in Suriname plane crash

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Monday May 17, 2010 – Eight people on board a plane that crashed near the border between Suriname and French Guiana on Saturday all perished.

Confirmation of the deaths of the pilot, his co-pilot and six other Surinamese nationals has come from deputy head of the Aviation Authority, Mohammed Sherief Saboerali, according to Frency news agency AFP.

The tragedy occurred when the Russian-built twin-engine Antonov AN-28 crashed into the jungle, located about 125 miles southeast of its destination – Suriname’s capital Paramaribo.

The plane went down 10 minutes after the pilot took off from and airstrip in a village close to the border with French Guiana and reported that he had encountered severe weather.

The bad weather also made the search difficult and a French rescue team with a helicopter was called in to assist in the search.

Efforts to retrieve the bodies continue today.

The plane that crashed was owned by Blue Wings Airline, a small Paramaribo-based airline.