When tragedy strikes...

Yesterday, a military practice plane crashed into an apartment building on the east side of Quito. It was nowhere near where I live, and nowhere near where my friends/family live, but it still was very tragic. I'm still unclear about what happened, but I know it was very foggy yesterday and some people are saying the plane didn't have radar, which I find hard to believe. A sad afternoon for many.

In any case, here's the story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7954173.stm

Ecuador plane crash kills seven

A small military plane has crashed into a building in the Ecuadorean capital Quito, killing at least seven people.

The victims included three soldiers and two civilians aboard the Beechraft plane and at least two people on the ground, officials say.

Black smoke billowed from the building in a populated wealthy district in the north of the capital.

The plane crashed in thick fog near the residence of the US ambassador to Ecuador who had not been harmed.

The plane was on a training exercise when it slammed into the side of the four-floor building at about 1720 local time (2220 GMT) on Thursday.

Emergency crews later rescued several injured people, who are said to be in stable condition.

"It was horrible. I heard the plane flying very low, then I heard the explosion. We ran out onto the street and saw fire, local resident Camille Avsert told the Associated Press.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The aircraft went down in the area where four other planes crashed in the 1990s.