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Plane with 14 aboard crashes in Ecuador

A plane crashed into the side of a tire factory Friday in southern Ecuador, killing five of the 14 people aboard, police said.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A plane crashed into the side of a tire factory Friday in southern Ecuador, killing five of the 14 people aboard, police said.

The factory workers were having lunch in another area of the building when the plane hit, and none were injured, witnesses said.

Several hours after the crash, police said, confirming local media reports.

An emergency service operator said the pilot and co-pilot were among those rescued after being trapped in the wreckage for more than four hours. Earlier, Interior Minister Felipe Vega, who was in Cuenca, where the plane crashed, said firefighters told him the pilot and co-pilot were still trapped in the fuselage, which was stuck in the factory wall.

The aircraft reportedly was carrying 12 passengers from Cuenca to Macas in Ecuador’s southeastern jungle.