A vintage plane with a capacity of 20 crashed at altitude in the Swiss Alps on Saturday, in canton Graubünden. Police have yet to confirm fatalities, as rescue operations continue on Sunday.
The plane went down on the western side of the Piz Segnas mountain on Saturday afternoon (see map), at an altitude of 2,540 metres, cantonal police confirmed.
A large rescue operation, which included the deployment of five helicopters, is continuing on Sunday morning and the airspace around the accident site remains closed.
The plane that crashed was a Junker JU-52 (affectionately known as 'Tante Ju' or 'Auntie Ju' in German), owned and operated by the JU-AIR company based in Dübendorf, which specialises in sightseeing flights. The plane was constructed in 1939, according to the Swiss news agency.
The Blick newspaper reported that the aircraft - which can carry 17 passengers along with three crew members - was fully booked for the flight from Locarno in canton Ticino over the Alps to the military airport of Dübendorf in canton Zurich.
JU-AIR confirmed only that people were present on board, without giving precise numbers. A telephone numberexternal link has been made available for the families of passengers to call for more information.
The cause of the crash is as yet unknown.
u-Air lost one of its historical planes. A Junkers JU-52 (HB-HOT) crashed when it impacted terrain near Flims, Piz Segnas, Switzerland. It is believed the 19 seater was fully booked on a sightseeing flight. Rescue operations are ongoing at present.
The plane went down on the western side of the Piz Segnas mountain on Saturday afternoon (see map), at an altitude of 2,540 metres, cantonal police confirmed.
A large rescue operation, which included the deployment of five helicopters, is continuing on Sunday morning and the airspace around the accident site remains closed.
The plane that crashed was a Junker JU-52 (affectionately known as 'Tante Ju' or 'Auntie Ju' in German), owned and operated by the JU-AIR company based in Dübendorf, which specialises in sightseeing flights. The plane was constructed in 1939, according to the Swiss news agency.
The Blick newspaper reported that the aircraft - which can carry 17 passengers along with three crew members - was fully booked for the flight from Locarno in canton Ticino over the Alps to the military airport of Dübendorf in canton Zurich.
JU-AIR confirmed only that people were present on board, without giving precise numbers. A telephone numberexternal link has been made available for the families of passengers to call for more information.
The cause of the crash is as yet unknown.
u-Air lost one of its historical planes. A Junkers JU-52 (HB-HOT) crashed when it impacted terrain near Flims, Piz Segnas, Switzerland. It is believed the 19 seater was fully booked on a sightseeing flight. Rescue operations are ongoing at present.
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