t with 51 people aboard slammed into a fog-draped mountain near Bogota on Monday. There were no signs of survivors, witnesses said.
At least four bodies were immediately recovered, rescuers said. The hillside where the plane crashed was strewn with body parts and small pieces of the plane.
The Boeing 727 crashed about 4:45 p.m. shortly after taking off from Bogota’s airport. The aircraft, leased to Air France by the Ecuadorian airline TAME, was bound for Quito, the Ecuadorean capital, said civil aviation spokesman Martin Gonzalez.
“I saw a big spark in the sky, which was all cloudy. The plane was flying very low,” said Sergio Rodriguez, a 15-year-old who lives near the crash site.
Police on the scene told reporters that they had also found burned clothing and seat pieces were strewn about bushes.
Gen. Alfredo Salgado, a national police official, said Air France flight 422 had 43 passengers and 8 crew members.