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Two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a Cessna 172 aircraft that tragically crashed in the mountains of La Plaine Dominica January 26, Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore told the press on Monday.
There were four people involved in the tragic accident.
The plane, which had departed Douglas-Charles Airport en route to Martinique, went down shortly after takeoff and lost communication around 3:46pm.
Search and rescue operations located the wreckage the following day on a “mountain top” in the village of La Plaine, on the island’s southeast coast.
National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore emphasized the significant challenges posed by the crash site’s inaccessibility.
“We were able to get the assistance of the French because it was clear then it would have been impossible to access that crash by foot,” he explained during the press briefing.
French rescue teams from nearby Martinique provided a helicopter and specialized personnel trained for high-risk operations. With their help, recovery efforts were able to locate and retrieve two of the four bodies from the crash site.
However, Blackmoore acknowledged that the remaining two victims were still trapped inside the wreckage, complicating further recovery efforts. He noted that by Wednesday, it had become clear that the existing strategy would need to be adjusted, as retrieving the final bodies was proving extremely difficult given the terrain and the nature of the wreckage.
The crash has cast a shadow over the island, and local authorities have expressed their gratitude to the French team for their swift and effective support in the operation.
The Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority (DASPA) confirmed the loss of communication with the aircraft shortly after departure but has not provided further details on the cause of the crash.
The French have launched an investigation into what exactly occurred, with the recovery teams focusing on bringing the remaining victims home.
The national security minister says the victims have not been released to the press in Dominica in an effort to safeguard grieving families.
SOURCE: LOOP NEWS
Have you noticed that quite a few aircrafts have been falling out of the skies recently??