Plane with 46 aboard missing in Venezuela

Caracus: A commercial plane with 46 people aboard disappeared in southwestern Venezuela on Thursday, and authorities said they believed it crashed after residents reported hearing a thunderous noise in the mountains.

Search teams were dispatched to the Venezuelan Andes near the city of Merida, where the plane departed. The flight was reported missing 30 minutes after takeoff.

Rescue crews were being sent on Friday to the mountainous area of Collado del Condor, where residents reported by phone "that they heard a great crash," said Noel Marquez, the emergency management director in Merida state.

The plane, owned by Venezuelan airline Santa Barbara, failed to contact control towers in two cities as expected after it took off from Merida en route to Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas, said General Antonio Rivero, Venezuela's emergency management director.