• Chile: The remains of the missing Chilean plane are found with 38 people on board at the place where the runway was lost

The discovery of remains of the plane and of human bodies in the Drake Sea confirmed on Wednesday night that the flight of the Hercules C-130 of the Chilean Air Force (Fach) towards Antarctica ended in tragedy, although the remains are unknown accident details.

"The Air Force has confirmed to us an unfortunate news: Drake has been found in the sea floating plane wreckage and also part of the bodies of the people who were on board," said the mayor of the Magallanes region, José Fernández.

According to "El Mercurio", the regional chief added "that he does not have the information on how many bodies or to whom the remains correspond." Today, Defense Minister Alberto Espina and FACh Commander-in-Chief Arturo Merino will arrive in Magallanes, who should provide more information on the findings.

Chileans have already sensed since hours before the plane, which disappeared when it was flying to Antarctica, crashed into the Drake Sea, 500 kilometers south of the Argentine city of Ushuaia. Both the Fach and the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, announced on Wednesday the discovery of remains of what could be the Hercules C-130 disappeared between Monday night and early Tuesday.

"The Chilean Air Force reports that on Wednesday, while the search was carried out for the wrecked aircraft, sponge remains were found floating in the sea 30 kilometers south of the last C-130 contact," said General Eduardo Mosqueira. . The finding was made by the Chilean flag vessel Antartic Endevour. "They could be part of the rest of the sponges in the internal fuel tanks of a C-130," he added.

The remains will be sent to be analyzed in the continent during the next hours, with the purpose of confirming whether or not they are parts of the lost ship.

Shortly after Mosqueira's announcement Bolsonaro entered the scene through his twitter account. It would be "personal items and remains compatible with the plane" damaged, as reported to the president the ship "Admiral Maximiano" of the Brazilian Navy. "The parts and objects of the plane were approximately 280 nautical miles (518 kilometers) from Ushuaia, Argentina," the president said. "The Brazilian Navy ship remains in the search area in coordinated actions with the Chilean authorities."

The discovery of the Fach was made 30 kilometers south of the point where the last contact of the Hercules C-130 was made, which transferred 38 people -17 crew members and 21 passengers-, three of them civilians. Airplanes and rescue boats from several countries search frantically since early Tuesday on Monday the plane in the waters south of the country, on the way to Antarctica. Bolsonaro and Alberto Fernández, the new president of Argentina, "offered all the help that is necessary," said Chilean president Sebastián Piñera. Chile also has the collaboration of countries such as the United States, Israel, France, Uruguay and Peru.

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