Plane down in the Amazon
 

No more details as yet as to the a/c type.

From the BBC:
A passenger aircraft carrying 33 people has crashed in Brazil's Amazon jungle, according to reports.
Wreckage of the plane, which went missing on Friday night as it was about to land in Manaus, was spotted by helicopters near the city.

Emergency services are unable to say how many survivors or casualties there are, but there was said to be no sign of a fire or explosion.

A search team has been despatched to the scene of the crash.

The Rico airlines plane was on its way to Manaus from the town of Sao Paulo de Olivenca on the Colombian border with 30 passengers and three crew.

It lost radio contact at about 1800 local time (2200 GMT) on Friday, and shortly afterwards disappeared from radar screens.

The wreckage was found about 15 kilometres (nine miles) west of the city, after a six-hour search of the region.

Families and friends of those on board have been gathering at Manaus airport to wait for news.

From Brazilian news services

Not much further news at 1600z. After the crash survivors were apparently able to fire off flares. The aircraft, an Embraer Brasilia callsign PT-WRO, is reported to be "broken in two".

Sao Paulo de Olivenca to Manaus was via Tabatinga and Tefe.

Another sad day in aviation

BBC Radio 2 have just said no survivors RIP :(

Unfortunately, no survivors. All the earlier apparently good news appears to have been just wishful thinking.

Very sad news.

Isn't this the 2nd fatal accident in Rico Airlines recent history?

ES :(

They lost another EMB 120 in August of 2002.

News services report tht flight recorder was found yesterday. Also that the last contact at 18:20 on Friday was one of the crew reporting they were on (final?) approach. ATC then instructed them to break off approach to give way to a Boeing (737?), also on approach. The EMB-120 was in a gradual turn to the right when it disappeared from radar.

Earlier reports of flares being fired from the crash site were, apparently, based on reports by helicopter crews having seen lights beneath the forest canopy, lit by villagers who reached the site first.

Prop overspeed?