CARACAS – Two of the 36 people who survived a plane crash near the eastern Venezuelan city of Ciudad Guayana died Tuesday of their injuries, bringing to 17 the total number of fatalities from the accident, the country’s transport minister said.“We have a total of 17 dead and 34 injured,” Francisco Garces told Union Radio.
While some of the passengers with comparatively minor injuries have already left for their original intended destinations, others remain at hospitals in Bolivar state, the minister said.
The plane, operated by state-owned Conviasa airlines, crashed at 9:50 a.m. Monday near one of the entrances to the giant Sidor steel complex, just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the airport in Ciudad Guayana.
The ATR-42 twin-engine turboprop was carrying 47 passengers and a crew of four.
An investigation into the crash began Tuesday under the direction of the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office.
Though warning against speculation about the causes of the accident, Garces said preliminary data indicate the pilot’s reaction to the emergency was “really commendable.”
He also praised the Sidor steelworkers who rushed to put out the flames and pulled survivors from the wreckage of the plane.
“Within it all we had a miraculous factor,” the minister said. “It’s a miracle that 34 people have survived and are well.” EFE