MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Light plane crashes in Santiago killing eleven

The charred remains of a Cessna 210 smolder

A small instruction plane belonging to Chile's Carabineros (uniformed police) crashed Wednesday morning into a recreational complex in the capital Santiago's Peñaloén borough. The accident left at least 11 people dead and a number of others injured.

The plane crashed on a municipal sports field at approximately 10 a.m., shortly after taking off from the Tobalaba Aerodrome in the neighboring La Reina borough. Witnesses saw smoke coming from the plane as it approached the field, and one area resident reported the aircraft was tottering back and forth in the air. The plane then crashed into an area where a number of women had gathered for an exercise class. The aircraft reportedly exploded after hitting the ground. All six of the plane's occupants died. Carabineros Captain Luciano Castro Adarme was piloting the Cessna 210. Also aboard were Carabineros Lieutenant Sebastian RodrÃÅ'guez Torres and four aviation mechanics students ranging in age from 17 to 19 years old. The crash also killed five people who had been participating in the exercise class at the crash site, including a young woman and her four-year-old daughter. Additionally, the accident caused several injuries, a number of them serious. Helicopters and ambulances transported victims to various Santiago hospitals, where some of the injured reportedly remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. A woman at risk of losing both legs as a result of the accident was among the most seriously injured. Another suffered burns on 85 percent of her body. The hospital treating the first woman, Peñaloen Hospital Luis Tisné, called on the public to donate blood. Peñaloen clinics reportedly were treating numerous other people for shock and minor injuries Wednesday afternoon. On its website, the city placed the total number of injured at 15, although some estimates were higher. The crash reportedly had a strong affect on Peñloen residents, some of whom donated blood for the victims. A man claiming to be an eyewitness described panic at the crash site in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Although the exact causes of the crash are still not clear, officials suspect mechanical failure. Authorities placed aviation investigator Patricio Morales in charge of determining what provoked the accident. Carabineros General Jorge Rojas speculated that Castro, an experienced pilot familiar with the area surrounding the crash site, tried to steer the plane toward the athletic fields in order to avoid hitting residential areas. Wednesday's crash was not the first accident linked to the Tobalaba Aerodrome, which is in close proximity to populated zones. Earlier this month, a plane that had taken off from the facility made an emergency landing on Santiago's Constanera highway. Previous accidents included fatal crashes and three incidents in which planes collided or nearly collided with homes. The accidents caused Peñaloen and La Reina residents to express concern for their safety. According to a neighborhood leader, the danger will be even greater once gas distributor Metrogas builds its planned plant in Peñaloen. Peñaloen Mayor Claudio Orrego called the crash "the worst accident in our borough's history." He said his most immediate concern was assisting the injured and family members of the deceased. However, he emphasized the importance of subsequently analyzing the danger of having an aerodrome so close to the borough. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet expressed condolences to the victims' families through Santiago Regional Governor Alvaro Erazo. "The President has asked us to [?] express our condolences to the families [of those] who lost their lives today in this terrible accident," Erazo said. Bachelet also called on authorities to carry out a thorough investigation of the crash. The Santiago Times