Crew members of disappeared Cessna plane found dead

To see international photos, click here

SANTIAGO.- The Chilean Air Force (FACh) announced today that the crew members aboard the Cessna 172 plane that disappeared yesterday afternoon following take off from the Santo Domingo aerodrome have been found dead on the Cerro el Roble Alto hill to the north of Curacaví.

An official memo released by the Air Force "regrets to inform that the individuals -identified as Juan Carametro, Sergio Díaz and Graciela Weber- onboard the Cessna 172 aircraft belonging to Club Aéreo de Los Andes, were found deceased at the site of the accident".

In the document, the FACh adds that "the aircraft went missing yesterday, during a flight between Santo Domingo and Los Andes".

The plane was discovered this morning after being spotted by an Air Force Pillán airplane; a UH – 1H helicopter was then dispatched to rescue the crew.

"The three passengers are inside the plane, they are dead and the aircraft is completely destroyed" stated Colonel José Valenzuela of the Air Force search and rescue team.

Valenzuela also stated that the National Aviation Attorney arrived at the scene of the accident in order to investigate the cause of the tragedy.