Ecuador army plane hits buildings, six killed

A small military plane crashed into two buildings in the fog-bound capital of Ecuador on Thursday, killing at least six people, Reuters reports, citing authorities.

Defense Minister Javier Ponce said the three army personnel and two civilians aboard the twin-engined Beechcraft 200 plane died in the crash and one other person was killed on the ground. He said the cause of the accident was still unclear.

Emergency officials said the plane hit two buildings in a wealthy neighborhood on the northern side of the city before it crashed in a backyard.

“I felt an explosion when I opened the frontdoor and then heard a loud sound before we raced out,” said Elena Morocho, a maid in a home near the crash site.

The plane crashed close to a hotel and the residence of the U.S. ambassador. An embassy spokeswoman said the ambassador was unharmed.

Fog often causes aviation difficulties and delays in the Andean mountain city. In the last two decades several planes have crashed in the hilly, Gonzalez Suarez neighborhood that stands on the path of planes landing in the capital.

“As a fireman this is fourth time I have been here to attend a plane crash, this has to stop,” said firefighter Atahualpa Sanchez near the site.