African E-190 Crash Kills 33

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Searchers have found the burned wreck of a Mozambique Airlines (LAM) Embraer E-190 in a remote area of Namibia and confirmed that all 33 aboard were killed in the crash. The aircraft, which was delivered in 2012 and is the newest in the airline’s fleet, was on a flight from Maputo, Mozambique to Luanda, Angola. Last reported contact was about 1:30 p.m. local time, about two hours into the four-hour flight, when the crew reported they were flying in heavy rain. It was at first thought the crew might have diverted to a nearby field to wait out the weather.

The airline in question is banned from flying in European airspace but not necessarily because of its own practices and safety record. The ban applies to all Mozambique-registered airlines and reflects concern over the regulatory authorities in that country. LAM, which is the acronym normally used to identify the airline, has had two previous mishaps, neither of which involved casualties. It was only the second fatal crash for an E-series airliner. The previous one was in China in 2010. Embraer says the aircraft involved was barely a year old and it’s sending technicians to the scene to help with the investigation. Continuing bad weather is hampering the recovery and investigation.

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