Paraguay: Six soldiers and one civilian died in shocking plane crash | the Chronicle

Six soldiers and a civilian were killed today by a crashed plane on Paraguayan Air Force property on the outskirts of Asunción, the force’s commander, General Juan Pablo, reported. Paredes.

“Initially, there is no data indicating that the Cessna 402 aircraft went through an emergency. The occupants, six members of the Air Force (including the pilot and the co-pilot), n ‘could not be rescued, “Paredes reported, according to the EFE newspaper. agency.

A public official was also among those killed in the crash, he added.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old student survived the impact and is in serious condition in the capital’s hospital for medical emergencies, according to the head of this specialty,
Agustín Saldívar.

The damaged plane “is a twin-engine Cessna 402 which crashed to the ground when it was 30, 40 seconds from reaching the head of the runway at (international) Silvio Pettirossi airport for landing”, said said the spokesperson for the armed forces. , Colonel Victor Urdapilleta.

“It all happened suddenly,” said the commander. “We are very dismayed by so many losses,” he told reporters.

“The plane was coming from Fort Olympus (800 km to the north). We don’t know if it had any technical problems. The only thing we can see is that they were already quite close to the descent and that it happened at a not very high altitude. The survivor is in very bad condition and the deaths of seven people have already been confirmed “, said the fire chief in turn
Rafael Valdez.

The device fell in the parking lot reserved for the military, a few meters from the main building of the Force.

The impact also affected four parked vehicles, Valdez added.