Venezuelan plane missing, 46 onboard

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-22-2008 13:36

A Venezuelan plane carrying 46 people went missing Thursday in the west of the country soon after taking off.

A Santa Barbara airlines aircraft ATR42-300 similar to the one declared missing is seen in this undated handout photo.  REUTERS/Handout

The twin-engine plane failed to contact control towers after it departed from the Andean mountain state of Merida en route to the capital, Caracas.

The Venezuelan aviation authority says it can't confirm if the plane has crashed.

But a civilian defense official says rescue teams will have to wait for daylight on Friday because rugged terrain in the region makes it too difficult to search at night.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei