Plane disappears near Rio de Janeiro

A plane carrying 19 people has disappeared from radar screens near Rio de Janeiro, civil defence officials said.

A plane carrying 19 people has disappeared from radar screens near Rio de Janeiro, civil defence officials said.

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The small double-propeller plane belonging to the local Team airline went missing after leaving the city of Macae, 180 kilometres east of Rio de Janeiro on Friday night, said Roni Alberto de Azevedo, a spokesman with the Rio de Janeiro State Civil Defence Department.

The plane was carrying 17 passengers and two crew members.

Local media said rural workers in a mountainous region between Macae and Rio de Janeiro reported hearing an explosion after a plane flew very low overhead.