At least six people have been killed in southern Chile after a small plane crashed in a residential neighborhood of Puerto Montt city. Following the incident, locals renewed calls for the closure of the La Paloma aerodrome.
The Islander BN-2B-27 bound for Chaiténn crashed down on a house in Puerto Montt shortly after takeoff at 10:50 local time, killing five passengers and the pilot on board, the governor of the Los Lagos region Harry Jürgensen confirmed.
Footage from the scene showed the plane, belonging to the Archipielagos air company, burning inside a residential structure as firefighters struggled to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to a neighboring house. One of the houses was “completely burned” in the incident, the governor said.
Imágenes muestran trabajo de Bomberos en lugar de la tragedia que cobró 6 víctimas fatales en #PuertoMontt. Enviamos nuestra solidaridad a las familias que a esta hora sufren un inmenso dolor por la pérdida de sus seres queridos. Esperamos cifras oficiales y causas de accidente. pic.twitter.com/2vtzo0NwEw
— Gervoy Paredes (@GervoyAlcalde) April 16, 2019
It appears that no one was inside the two buildings when the crash occurred. One bystander, a woman, reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being hit by debris.
Tuesday’s crash, which happened only 100 meters away from a local school, is just the latest in a series of similar incidents that has plagued the local community for years. The local mayor and neighbors are asking the government to close down or relocate the airstrip, which has been keeping them in “constant fear” of another tragedy.
Para honrar la memoria de las personas fallecidas y acompañar en estos difíciles momentos a sus familiares decretamos Duelo de 3 días en la comuna de #PuertoMontt. Que Dios acompañe las almas de las personas que perdieron la vida, todos trabajadores. Oremos por ellos. pic.twitter.com/PblVoKfkLA
— Gervoy Paredes (@GervoyAlcalde) April 16, 2019
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