Chile air crash: First bodies recovered from Pacific

At least three bodies and aircraft debris have been found in the Pacific Ocean after a Chilean air force plane crashed with 21 people aboard. Fishermen and rescuers searching the waters around the remote Juan Fernandez islands found the bodies of at least two women and one man, officials said. Hopes have dimmed of finding anyone alive, a top air force officer said. The plane, which was carrying TV presenter Felipe Camiroaga, was lost after trying to land in poor weather. The Casa-212 turboprop plane twice tried to land at the islands' airport in windy conditions on Friday afternoon. "It seems like a violent accident that didn't leave anyone alive," Maximiliano Larraechea, secretary general of the Chilean air force, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. "But we're still not losing hope and we're going to continue searching in the same way." Earthquake assignment Mr Camiroaga had been flying to the islands with a five-strong crew from Chile's national TV programme Buenos Dias a Todos - Good Morning Everyone. They had been due to film a piece on reconstruction projects after the magnitude-8.8 earthquake and tsunami which hit Chile and devastated the islands in February 2010. A navy frigate has been sent with a helicopter to carry out search and rescue work, and a Hercules 130 plane was due to join them. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said that his thoughts were with the families of those on board the plane, which had taken off from the capital Santiago at 14.00 (17.00 GMT) on Friday and lost contact with air traffic control some four hours later. "I empathise with the anguish and uncertainty the relatives the 21 passengers aboard the plane, which is presumed to have gone down, are living through at this moment. "This is a very hard blow for our country," he said. One of those on board was the businessman Felipe Cubillos - Defence Minister Andres Allamand's brother-in-law - who had also been working on post-earthquake reconstruction with the group Desafio Levantemos Chile. Map Chileans gathered at Chilean national TV headquarters with dozens of people lighting candles and praying outside the gates As well as co-hosting Buenos Dias a Todos, Mr Camiroaga, 44, fronted the late-night talk show Animal Nocturno (Nocturnal Animal). The Juan Fernandez islands lie around 420 miles (670 km) off Chile's coast, and are thought to have inspired the setting for Daniel Defoe's classic shipwreck novel Robinson Crusoe.