LIMA, Aug 24: Forty-one people were killed and 59 escaped alive after a Peruvian passenger jet crashed during a severe storm in Peru’s northeastern jungle on Tuesday. State-run airline TANS said its Boeing 737-200 plane with 100 people aboard made an emergency landing without its landing gear in swampland near the remote Pucallpa airport, 785kms northeast of Lima.

“There are 41 cadavers that rescue teams have pulled from the wreckage. There could be more deaths. We assume some 60 people in total since we’ve rescued 20 injured persons,” a police official in Pucallpa said.

“There were Americans on the flight and one was killed along with an Italian. We have also counted an injured Colombian, an Australian and a Spanish woman,” he added.

An airline executive said 11 Americans were on board.

Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo said in a televised address there were between 20 and 30 survivors, but the airline said there were 52, including two crew members.—Reuters