No survivors in Brazil air crash

A domestic passenger aircraft has crashed in Brazil's Amazon jungle with the loss of all 33 people aboard, the plane's owner has confirmed.

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.

Rescuers who reached the crash site found no survivors, a spokesman for Rico Airlines told AFP news agency.

Work to recover the bodies is being hampered by difficult terrain.

The fact that there was no sign of a fire or explosion at the crash site had raised hopes of finding survivors but rescue crews found none.

The search was hampered overnight by fog and darkness, which prevented crews from descending into the dense jungle.

Emergency workers using three helicopters have begun the operation to recover the bodies.

Landing delay

The Brazilian-built plane had been on its way to Manaus from the town of Sao Paulo de Olivenca on the Colombian border, with a full load of 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 close to the River Negro, about 15km (nine miles) from Manaus, after a six-hour search of the region, in the state of Amazonas.

While the cause of the crash is not clear, a rescue official at Manaus Fire Department, Maj Ernesto Rodrigues, said that the plane had delayed its landing to make way for another aircraft carrying sick people to a hospital.

The Aviation Safety Network records that the plane involved, a twin-engine Embraer 120 Brasilia, has been involved in at least 14 fatal crashes, with the loss of at least 161 lives.