60 feared dead in Peruvian airliner crash

Up to 60 people are feared dead after an airliner carrying 100 people crashed near a Peruvian jungle town as it was attempting an emergency landing.

Pravda.ru informed earlier, that at least 37 people were reported killed and dozens injured before recovery efforts were halted as night fell.

Cesar Arroyo, a local prosecutor, told Radioprogramas radio that 37 to 40 bodies had been pulled from the wreckage of the TANS Peru airliner.

"There are still many more bodies to recover but now they have stopped operations because of darkness and the muddy terrain," he was quoted as saying by This is London.

TANS spokesman Jorge Belevan said there was still no confirmation on the death toll. He said the Boeing 737-200 was attempting an emergency landing when the plane crashed near a highway.

"There are 40 cadavers that rescue teams are pulling from the wreckage. There could be more deaths. We assume some 60 people in total since we've rescued 20 injured people," a police officer in Pucallpa told Radioprogramas radio.

The pilot contacted the airport tower saying he could not land because of strong winds and a heavy downpour, Norma Pasquel, a Pucallpa airport receptionist, said.

Radio reports said the plane crashed about six miles from the municipal airport near the jungle city, 305 miles north east of the capital, Lima.