An ATR-72-212 plane belonging to Cuba's state-owned Aero Caribbean airlines crashed in central Cuba after issuing an emergency call, state-run media said on Thursday.
There were at least 68 people on board but no initial reports of survivors.
Cuban passenger aircraft, many of them Russian-made, have been involved in a number of accidents over the last two decades. Victims have sometimes included foreign tourists.
The following is a brief list of Cuban plane crashes:
March 14, 2002 - A small Cuban tourist plane, a single-engine Russian Antonov-2, crashes into a reservoir in central Villa Clara province, killing all 16 people on board, including Canadian, British and German tourists.
December 25, 1999 - A Russian-made Cubana de Aviacion jet crashes while approaching landing near the Venezuelan city of Valencia, killing all 22 people on board, according to Venezuelan authorities.
December 21, 1999 - A Cubana DC-10 jet skids off the runway at Guatemala City's airport and slams into houses. Guatemala says 26 people were killed but Cuba puts the death toll at 18. Pilot error is blamed.
August 29, 1998 - A Russian-made Tupolev of Cubana goes off the runway and explodes during an attempted takeoff from Quito airport in Ecuador, killing 81 people. Investigators blame human error.
July 11, 1997 - A Soviet-built twin-engined Antonov-24 suffers engine failure shortly after takeoff from the eastern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba and plunges into the sea, killing all 44 people on board, including six Spaniards and two Brazilians.
September 3, 1989 - In the worst Cubana disaster, a Soviet-made Ilyushin-62M passenger plane crashes near Havana after taking off for Italy, killing all 126 people on board.
(source:reuters.com)
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