Plane Carrying 19 Disappears Near Rio

A plane carrying 19 people has disappeared from radar screens near Rio de Janeiro Friday night, civil defense officials said.

The small double-propeller plane belonging to the local Team airline went missing after leaving the city of Macae, 110 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, said Roni Alberto de Azevedo, a spokesman with the Rio de Janeiro State Civil Defense Department.

The plane was carrying 17 passengers and two crew members.

Local media said rural workers in a mountainous region between Macae and Rio de Janeiro reported hearing an explosion after a plane flew very low overhead.