Eight killed in Colombia plane crash

BOGOTA: A small plane carrying eight people crashed into a residential area of Colombia´s second-largest city Medellin on Monday, killing all on board, airport authorities said.

The aircraft took off from the Olaya Herrera airport in the morning and reported an engine failure before crashing into a house, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air. The airport´s Twitter account reported that the eight people in the plane -- six passengers and two crew -- had been reported as “fatalities.”

There was no indication if anyone had been injured or killed in the house. “There has been a plane accident in the Belen Rosales sector. The full capacity of government has been activated to assist the victims,” Mayor Daniel Quintero wrote on Twitter earlier.

He said the plane was a twin-engine Piper heading from Medellin to the municipality of Pizarro in the neighboring department of Choco. The plane “signaled engine failure on takeoff and did not manage to return to the Olaya Herrera airport,” one of two in Medellin.