25 years since the tragic plane crash at Loma Isabel de Torres in Puerto Plata
PUERTO PLATA.- Wednesday, November 15th marks the 25th anniversary of the fatal accident of a Cuban plane at the Loma Isabel de Torres in Puerto Plata, where total 34 people died – 16 Dominicans, 16 Cubans and 2 Italians
The tragedy occurred when the aircraft Ilyushin-18 owned by the Cuban company Aero Caribbean crashed at 850 meters high against the left mass of the Loma Isabel de Torres on a cold afternoon of that Sunday, November 15, 1992.
The strong impact against the hill and the tanks of the plane full of fuel rapidly turned into a large ball of fire a large area of difficult access, and although the rescue work began that same night, they had to be interrupted by the bad weather that prevailed at that time.
The news about the unfortunate event was broadcast instantly by the then television program “The Fat of the Week” under the leadership of the late Freddy Beras Goico, who in a choked voice, announced the disaster where all the members of the national chess team perished.
The following day, Puerto Plata and the whole country woke up sorrowful and sad with the unfortunate news, where the outstanding doctor and former president of the Basketball Association and president of the Sports Union of Puerto Plata (UDEPLA), Cristóbal Merette Luna (Guidino) and the complete chess team of the city of San Francisco de Macorís died.
In the same way died the Dominican chess players Juan José Matos Rivera (Pachón) who was the head of the delegation), the referee Marcelino De La Rosa, the players Manolo Marte, Héctor Ogando Estévez, César González Jaquez, Marcelino De la Rosa, in addition to the trainer Adelquis Remón Gay who was a native of the town of Yabazón in the eastern province of Holguin, in Cuba.
It is recalled that the plane crashed at the time it was attempting to land for a second stop back to Havana (Cuba) at the General Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata, half an hour after leaving a group of passengers at Las Americas airport of Santo Domingo, after the pilot Rolando Flete sailing the sky in a terrible disorientation.
Aviation technicians explained that instead of following the route of the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft traveled a distance in a west-east direction reaching the lower part of the city, specifically for the Costámbar tourism project and continued south of the slope of the mountain between the skirt and the top, crashing there and forming a ball of fire throughout the mountain that was observed hundreds of kilometers.
The civil defense, the Red Cross, the Fire Brigade and the Dominican Air Force participated in the work of recovering the human remains, from the dense vegetation of the mountain.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
Nov 16, 2017
PUERTO PLATA.- Wednesday, November 15th marks the 25th anniversary of the fatal accident of a Cuban plane at the Loma Isabel de Torres in Puerto Plata, where total 34 people died – 16 Dominicans, 16 Cubans and 2 Italians
The tragedy occurred when the aircraft Ilyushin-18 owned by the Cuban company Aero Caribbean crashed at 850 meters high against the left mass of the Loma Isabel de Torres on a cold afternoon of that Sunday, November 15, 1992.
The strong impact against the hill and the tanks of the plane full of fuel rapidly turned into a large ball of fire a large area of difficult access, and although the rescue work began that same night, they had to be interrupted by the bad weather that prevailed at that time.
The news about the unfortunate event was broadcast instantly by the then television program “The Fat of the Week” under the leadership of the late Freddy Beras Goico, who in a choked voice, announced the disaster where all the members of the national chess team perished.
The following day, Puerto Plata and the whole country woke up sorrowful and sad with the unfortunate news, where the outstanding doctor and former president of the Basketball Association and president of the Sports Union of Puerto Plata (UDEPLA), Cristóbal Merette Luna (Guidino) and the complete chess team of the city of San Francisco de Macorís died.
In the same way died the Dominican chess players Juan José Matos Rivera (Pachón) who was the head of the delegation), the referee Marcelino De La Rosa, the players Manolo Marte, Héctor Ogando Estévez, César González Jaquez, Marcelino De la Rosa, in addition to the trainer Adelquis Remón Gay who was a native of the town of Yabazón in the eastern province of Holguin, in Cuba.
It is recalled that the plane crashed at the time it was attempting to land for a second stop back to Havana (Cuba) at the General Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata, half an hour after leaving a group of passengers at Las Americas airport of Santo Domingo, after the pilot Rolando Flete sailing the sky in a terrible disorientation.
Aviation technicians explained that instead of following the route of the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft traveled a distance in a west-east direction reaching the lower part of the city, specifically for the Costámbar tourism project and continued south of the slope of the mountain between the skirt and the top, crashing there and forming a ball of fire throughout the mountain that was observed hundreds of kilometers.
The civil defense, the Red Cross, the Fire Brigade and the Dominican Air Force participated in the work of recovering the human remains, from the dense vegetation of the mountain.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
Nov 16, 2017
