Bolivian air force plane crash kills six, including four military personnel

Six people were killed when a Bolivian Air Force (FAB) CESSNA FAB-409 aircraft crashed, the country’s Ministry of Defence said, adding that the victims included four military personnel and two civilians.

It said the aircraft was operating a flight from La Paz to Cochabamba, Caliber.Az reports, citing Los Tiempos.

After departing from El Alto International Airport, the crew remained in contact with air traffic controllers before the signal was lost, prompting a search-and-rescue operation.

The wreckage was later found in the Cerro Sayari area.

Aviation accident investigators have launched a probe to determine the cause of the crash.

Bolivia’s Ministry of Defence said the circumstances surrounding the accident would be established following a technical examination.

According to Reuters, the aircraft was located in a remote mountainous area of the Andes in the Cochabamba department, west of the city of the same name.

The ministry did not specify the mission the aircraft was carrying out at the time of the crash. However, it noted that in recent weeks the plane had been used to transport children with cancer to medical centres during road blockades.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov