Ten killed when small plane crashes in central Colombia

Ten people, including five children, were killed in a plane crash in Colombia on Wednesday minutes after its crew signaled mechanical problems, the civil aviation authority said.

The U.S.-made twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo carrying eight passengers and two crew came down near Mariquita municipality in the central province of Tolima while trying to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport but crashed and burst into flames.

The plane belonged to a private transport company which flies a route between the capital Bogota and the touristic Bahia Solano area on the Pacific coast.

Police and emergency workers were sent to the scene to recover bodies while the aviation authority began an investigation into the exact cause of the accident.