Plane carrying 160 crashes in Venezuela
{{date|August 16, 2005}}
[[Image:Ve-crash-map.png|thumb|right|Location of the crash site]]
A [[w:Colombia|Colombian]] passenger jet carrying 152 passengers and 8 crewmembers <!--BBC News report states 160 on board-->has crashed in Western [[w:Venezuela|Venezuela]].  Officials said the plane was travelling from [[w:Panama|Panama]], headed for [[w:Martinique|Martinique]] in the Caribbean when its pilot reported engine trouble to the [[w:Caracas|Caracas]] airport just after 3 am (07:00 [[w:UTC|UTC]]). The pilot reportedly asked for permission to land at [[w:Maracaibo|Maracaibo]] airport shortly before the plane went missing in the remote state of [[w:Zulia|Zulia]], close to the Colombian border.  Locals have reported hearing explosions near the scene of the crash.
[[Image:Sas.md82.250704.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|A Scandinavian Airways MD 82. This is the type of plane involved in the crash]]
The crashed plane was a 19 year old [[w:MD-80|MD-82]] of [[w:West Caribbean Airways|West Caribbean Airways]] based in [[w:Medellín|Medellín]] carrying the registration number HK-4374X. which was delivered only back on 10 January [[2005]].

The [[w:France|French]] news agency [[w:AFP|AFP]] reports that all passengers and crew have perished.  The crash comes just two days after [[w:Helios Airways Flight 522|an airplane crash]] in [[w:Greece|Greece]], which killed 121 people.

== External links ==
* [http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/McDonnell_Douglas/MD-80/49484.html Registration information]
* [http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=901348 Picture of plane]

== Sources ==
{{Wikipedia|West Caribbean Airways Flight 708}}
*{{source|url=http://www.afp.com/francais/news/stories/050816131920.tchnz0sq.html
|title=Crash d'un avion colombien: les 160 occupants tués, en majorité des Français
|author=
|pub=AFP
|date=August 16, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165856,00.html
|title=Jet Carrying 152 Crashes in Venezuela
|author=
|pub=Fox News
|date=August 16, 2005}}
<!-- Hint: If you are citing BBC News, leave the author blank and put "BBC News" in the "pub" parameter. -->

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4156224.stm
|title= Airliner comes down in Venezuela
|author=
|pub=BBC News
|date=August 16, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/08/16/venezuela.crash.ap/index.html
|title=Report: Airliner crashes in western Venezuela
|author=
|pub=CNN/Associated Press
|date=August 16, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050816/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_plane_crash;_ylt=Alx_6gkpjIgn9pJ6nQQidlus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
|title=Plane Crashes in Venezuela; 152 Aboard
|author=
|pub=Associated Press
|date=August 16, 2005}}

{{Publish}}

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[[Category:Venezuela]]
[[Category:Colombia]]
[[Category:South America]]
[[Category:Disasters and accidents]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Helios Airways Flight 522]]

[[de:Flugzeug in Venezuela abgestürzt]]
[[es:Un avión colombiano con 160 personas se estrella en Venezuela]]
[[fr:Crash d'un avion colombien transportant 153 passagers]]
[[it:Venezuela: precipita aereo della West Caribbean, 160 morti]]
[[ja:ベネズエラで飛行機事故 乗員・乗客160名]]
[[pl:Wenezuela: Katastrofa kolumbijskiego samolotu]]
[[pt:Avião colombiano com 160 pessoas cai na Venezuela]]
Location of the crash site
A Colombian passenger jet carrying 152 passengers and 8 crewmembers has crashed in Western Venezuela.  Officials said the plane was travelling from Panama, headed for Martinique in the Caribbean when its pilot reported engine trouble to the Caracas airport just after 3 am (07:00 UTC). The pilot reportedly asked for permission to land at Maracaibo airport shortly before the plane went missing in the remote state of Zulia, close to the Colombian border.  Locals have reported hearing explosions near the scene of the crash.
A Scandinavian Airways MD 82. This is the type of plane involved in the crash
The crashed plane was a 19 year old MD-82 of West Caribbean Airways based in Medellín carrying the registration number HK-4374X. which was delivered only back on 10 January 2005.

The French news agency AFP reports that all passengers and crew have perished.  The crash comes just two days after an airplane crash in Greece, which killed 121 people.

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de:Flugzeug in Venezuela abgestürzt
es:Un avión colombiano con 160 personas se estrella en Venezuela
fr:Crash d'un avion colombien transportant 153 passagers
it:Venezuela: precipita aereo della West Caribbean, 160 morti
ja:ベネズエラで飛行機事故 乗員・乗客160名
pl:Wenezuela: Katastrofa kolumbijskiego samolotu
Avião colombiano com 160 pessoas cai na Venezuela
Venezuela Colombia South America Disasters and accidents Aviation Helios Airways Flight 522