Chile declares national mourning after plane crash

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SANTIAGO: Chile on Sunday declared two days of national mourning after rescuers gave up hope for 21 people believed killed when an air force plane crashed off Robinson Crusoe island in the Pacific.

The tragedy has prompted nationwide grief and only four bodies have been recovered since the CASA 212 turbo-prop plane, believed to have been thrown off course by strong winds, went down late Friday during a failed attempt to land.

The search resumed on Sunday but Chilean officials said earlier there was no hope of finding survivors as all on board would have died on impact.

President Sebastian Pinera said mourning on Monday and Tuesday would allow people to express solidarity with the families of victims, who included one of the country's best-known television personalities.

Thousands gathered at state broadcaster TVN to remember daily morning talk show host Felipe Camiroaga, who was traveling to the island with a crew to report on reconstruction efforts after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused devastation last year.

"I cannot imagine the morning without Felipe," said one devastated female fan in tears outside the television station, whose headquarters has been deluged in flowers, stuffed animal toys, candles, and messages of condolence.

Robinson Crusoe, the island which is believed to have been the setting for the famous novel by 18th century British author Daniel Defoe, is the main island of the Juan Fernandez archipelago, which lies in the Pacific some 700 kilometers (435 miles) west of the South American coastline.

General Maximiliano Larraechea, the air force chief of staff, said Sunday the search would continue "until we find each one" of the 17 missing.

The Chilean navy are using sonar equipment to try to locate the fuselage of the aircraft, where the remaining crash victims are likely to be found.

"Yesterday, the bodies of some victims surfaced fairly rapidly, which leads us to believe that the rest are with the fuselage," Larraechea said.

Chilean Defense Minister Andres Allamand told reporters Saturday that the air force plane had made two abortive attempts to land before radio contact was lost.

Although winds are being blamed for the crash, the accident's official cause remains unknown.

Government spokesman Andres Chadwick said the four bodies identified were those of Erwin Nunez, an air force corporal; Galia Diaz, with the National Cultural Council; Roberto Bruce, a TVN network journalist; and Silvia Slager, a TVN producer.

Tributes for the victims have poured in from across South America. Foreign ministers from member nations of the Organization of American States, gathered for a meeting in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso, held a moment of silence.

Pope Benedict XVI said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the accident, in a message relayed by the archbishop of Santiago, Ricardo Ezzati. (AFP)