All aboard killed in MD-83 crash
An Atlasjet plane crashed shortly before it was to land in central Turkey early today, killing all 56 people on board, the airline’s chief executive said.
A rescue helicopter had reached the wreckage of the plane on a mountainous region near the town of Keciborlu in Isparta province and reported back that no one had survived the crash, airline CEO Tuncay Doganer said.
The MD-83 jetliner took off from Istanbul at 1:55 a.m. local time, headed to Isparta but went off the radar just before landing.
Doganer said the cause of the crash was not known. But he ruled out weather conditions as a possible cause, saying there was no fog or strong winds at the time of the crash.
Families of the passengers first rushed to the airports of Istanbul and Isparta for news of their loved ones and later began heading toward the crash scene.
Fort-de-France, Martinique
Quake rattles houses, nerves
A powerful earthquake rocked the eastern Caribbean on Thursday, damaging buildings and panicking residents, some of whom were hurt when they jumped from windows.
The magnitude-7.4 earthquake was centered 14 miles northwest of Martinique’s coastline, lasted longer than 20 seconds. It struck at 2 p.m. EST and was felt as far away as Puerto Rico to the west, and Venezuela and Suriname to the south.
Martinique police and firefighters responded to hundreds of calls for help but only minor injuries were reported, said an official. One British citizen died from heart failure during the quake, according to the island’s civil security office.
Caracas, Venezuela
Massive rally held against referendum
More than 100,000 people flooded the streets of the capital Thursday to oppose a referendum that would eliminate term limits for President Hugo Chavez and help him establish a socialist state in Venezuela.
Blowing whistles, waving placards and shouting “Not like this!” the marchers carried Venezuelan flags and dressed in blue – the chosen color of the opposition – as they streamed along Bolivar Avenue.
The rally marked the close of the opposition’s campaign against the proposed constitutional changes, which will be submitted to a vote Sunday. Chavez plans to lead rallies in favor of the reforms today.
Venezuelans will vote on 69 proposed changes to the nation’s 1999 constitution that would, among other things, eliminate presidential term limits, create forms of communal property and give greater power to the presidency.