Quito fire chief Atahualpa Sanchez said emergency crews recovered the badly burned bodies of five victims, three of them dressed in military uniforms, while rescuers evacuated an unspecified number of injured people in stable condition.
The army identified the soldiers as the pilot, a major; the co-pilot, a lieutenant; and the mechanic, a sergeant. In a statement, it said the pilot´s wife and son were also killed.
Defense Minister Javier Ponce said the aircraft was a Beechcraft army plane on a training run.
It crashed about 5.30 p.m. local time (0415 Fri, NST; 2230 GMT) as it approached Quito´s airport from Manta, 160 miles (260 kilometers) to the southeast. The cause was unknown.
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