Venezuelan cargo plane found in Ecuador Andes

Authorities located a downed Venezuelan cargo plane on Sunday after it went missing in the snowcapped Andes five minutes before it was due to land in central Ecuador, civil aviation officials said. The Boeing 737-200, operated by state-owned Venezuelan carrier Conviasa, lost contact with air traffic controllers Saturday night in the town of Latacunga, where it was scheduled to land for maintenance, Ecuador's Civil Aviation Director Gen. Jorge Zurita told reporters Sunday. Two Venezuelan pilots and a mechanic were aboard, Zurita said. Investigators found the plane's wreckage just northwest of the Illinizas mountains, said Diego Valencia, Red Cross chief in Quito. Rescue workers, soldiers and police continued to search for survivors but were having trouble reaching the remote spot, he said. It was not clear what the cargo plane was carrying. It took off from Maiquetia, home to Venezuela's main international airport. Weather had been clear for the flight, Zurita said.