Venezuelan official says plane has crashed with 47 people on board; no word on victims

Venezuelan official: plane crashed with 47 aboard

CARACAS, Venezuela — A plane carrying at least 47 people crashed shortly after takeoff Monday in eastern Venezuela, and an official said at least 23 people survived.

The plane from the state airline Conviasa crashed about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz at about 10 a.m. (1430 GMT), Transportation Minister Francisco Garces told state television. He said the plane went down on the property of the state-run Sidor steel foundry.

Rescue workers were tending to injured victims, and at least 23 survivors were taken to hospitals, Bolivar state Gov. Francisco Rangel Gomez told the Venezuela-based television network Telesur.

Forty-three passengers and four crew members were aboard when the plane took off, Garces said.

Garces said the plane was headed to Margarita Island when it crashed shortly after takeoff, for reasons that were unclear.