Plane crashes into sea of Venezuela

A plane carrying 14 people crashed into the sea today on its way to Venezuela’s Los Roques islands, officials said.

Eight Italians and one American were believed to be on board, but there was no immediate report on casualties.

The twin-engine plane took off from Simon Bolivar international airport on the coast near Caracas and hit the sea about six miles from the Caribbean archipelago, said Gen Antonio Rivero, director of Venezuela’s emergency management agency.

Search teams were fanning out by air and sea to find the downed plane, Gen Rivero said.

Italy’s foreign ministry said eight Italians were on board.

The passengers also included an American and the rest were Venezuelan, according to an official in Gen Rivero’s agency who insisted on anonymity because she was not authorised to speak publicly.

The US embassy said it had no immediate information about an American citizen on the plane.

The Los Roques islands are a tourist destination, with a national park and world-class scuba diving off white sand beaches.