Aviation

4.4, crash, fatalities

Suriname: experts from the Netherlands were due to arrive in Suriname to help identify victims of a plane crash in a remote jungle that killed all 19 on board. The twin-engine Antonov-AN28, operated by Surinamese carrier Blue Wing airlines, crashed on approach to an airstrip in the Benzdorp mining region, near the country’s border with French Guiana. All passengers and crew were believed to be Surinamese. President Ronald Venetiaan gave his condolences to grieving relatives and said more should be done to increase the safety of the country’s numerous interior airstrips. The crash occurred in light rain just after the pilot had aborted a previous landing attempt and was coming around to try again. Blue Wing, which has operated since 2002, was barred from landing at European airports in June 2006 after French aviation officials found safety deficiencies during an inspection of planes. The airline was removed from the blacklist in 2007 after a commission said the company had resolved the issues.