MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan plane crashlands in Argentina, both occupants survive

Both pilots survived after crashlanding in a clear spot

Both occupants of an Uruguayan single-engined Cessna C-208 Caravan Cargo plane that made an emergency landing in the Argentine town of Berisso escaped with just minor injuries, it was reported in Buenos Aires.

The aircraft had departed from Montevideo's International Carrasco Airport and was bound for the Argentine capital's Ezeiza terminal when it apparently ran out of fuel or suffered an engine malfunction and the pilots -both of them Uruguayan nationals- chose to find a clear spot to land early Thursday.

After touching down not far from Route 11 in the La Hermosura neighborhood near La Plata, the aircraft caught fire, leaving fragments of the fuselage scattered all around. One of the occupants suffered some burns on his arms, according to local media, due to which he needed medical assistance from the emergency responding teams and was later taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

It is believed that after running out of fuel, the Caravan sought to land at La Plata's airport but failed to make it there and went down causing damage to trees and electrical wiring in the surrounding area. The aircraft was carrying mail to Ezeiza.

“At the moment the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure, the pilots communicated with Ezeiza airport expressing the air emergency. When the engine failed, the aircraft impacted on the dirt road at 78 and 135 and 136 of Berisso, approximately 700 meters away from Route 11, observing the remains of the fuselage scattered on the road, damage to trees and wiring, but not affecting any house or passers-by,” the official aviation report read.