8 die as military plane crashes in Cuba

Havana, April 30 (IANS) A Cuban military plane crashed on Saturday morning in Artemisa province, killing eight members of the military on board, state media said.

The plane, belonging to Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, crashed into a mountain, just west of the capital Havana, in the province of Artemisa, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The eight military personnel on board, including the crew, died," the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement published by state-run media.

The AN-26 Russian-made craft had taken off from the Playa Baracoa airport, located on the outskirts of Havana, at 6.38 a.m. and then "collided" into the Loma de la Pimienta hill in the town of Candelaria.

"A commission from the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces is now investigating the causes of the accident," the statement said.