A deputy minister, Rodolfo Robelo, is among 14 people reported dead in a plane crash in Honduras.

The small commercial plane was on a routine scheduled flight from the coastal city of San Pedro Sula to the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Also among those killed was former finance minister Carlos Chain and a trade union leader, Israel Salinas Jorge Castellanos.

An ambulance and helicopters have been dispatched to the site of the crash.

But it is said to be a heavily wooded area which may be difficult to reach.

The commander of the Air Force, Ruis Landa, said the plane - a Let 410 twin-engine, operated by Central American Airlines - had lost contact with air traffic control in a region south of Tegucigalpa.

Local residents heard the explosion as the aircraft hit the ground and raced to the scene to try to help any survivors, reported local newspaper El Heraldo. But when they reached the area, they found a chilling scene of scattered bodies, the local mayor told the newspaper.

Two crew were among the 14 who died.

One of the pilots is reported to have survived the initial crash, but died before he could be taken to hospital.

The accident happened in the same area where a SAHSA airlines plane crashed in 1989, killing 131 people.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.

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