ATR Crashes in Cuba, Killing 68
An ATR 72-212 turboprop operated by Cuba’s Aero Caribbean crashed yesterday at 5:40 p.m.

An ATR 72-212 turboprop operated by Cuba’s Aero Caribbean crashed yesterday at 5:40 p.m. local time in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus, killing all 61 passengers and seven crewmembers. Flight 883, en route from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, lost contact with air traffic controllers after declaring “an emergency situation.”

Cuban aviation authorities subsequently suspended all flights as a result of Hurricane Tomas, which had been approaching the region at the time of the crash. However, officials from the IACC (Instituto de Aéronautica Civil de Cuba) have given no indication that they suspect the hurricane was a factor in the crash.