Rescuers in Venezuela are attending the scene of an accident involving an aircraft operated by state-run carrier Conviasa.
Twenty-three of the 47 occupants on board the ATR 42 have survived and been taken to various hospitals.
The country's transport minister says, through state channels, that the turboprop had been operating between Porlamar, off the northern coast, and Ciudad Guayana, some 540km southeast of Caracas, as flight 2350.
On board were 43 passengers and four crew members. The crash site is near Puerto Ordaz, a few kilometres southeast of Ciudad Guayana.
Conviasa was set up as a national airline for Venezuela in 2004.
But the carrier has been involved in a number of serious incidents during its relatively short existence, including a Boeing 737-200's fatal collision with terrain two years ago.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
