13 die as plane crashes off Sicily

A part of the fuselage of the Tunisian plane that crashed-landed in the sea near the Sicily island Saturday is carried by boat in Palermo harbour from the place of the accident yesterday. Thirteen people were killed, three went missing and 23 of the 39 people aboard survived the plane crash. PHOTO: AFP

The plane was carrying 34 Italians and five crew from Bari, in southeastern Italy, to the popular Tunisian resort island of Djerba when it encountered a "lack of engine power," according to Tuninter, the charter arm of the Tunisian airline that operated the flight.

The pilot made a distress call to Palermo airport at 3:24 p.m. (1324 GMT) and said he wanted to make an emergency landing.

"They (the pilots) asked to land at Punta Raisi (Palermo airport), but they didn't make it," said Vito Riggio, head of civil aviation authority ENAC. "The pilot said he would try a sea landing but was unable to."