Aviation

8.7, crash, fatalities

Colombia: local authorities said a US cargo aircraft heading for Miami crashed near the Colombian capital Bogota, killing two people on the ground. It was the second crash in two months of a Boeing 747 flown by Kalitta Air of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The aircraft hit a ranch approximately 15 miles north-west of Bogota. The aircraft, with eight crew members on board, had taken off from Bogota Eldorado Airport carrying a cargo of flowers to Miami International Airport when the crew radioed that they had an engine fire. They attempted to return to the airport, but the aircraft crashed in a field 12.5 miles west of the airport, broke up and caught fire. A farm was demolished in the crash, killing the two people inside. Some of the crew-men were reportedly injured but none lost their lives. The aircraft was written off.