The C-208B aircraft “fell to the ground” 3km from the Jose Antonio Paez air base, in Venezuela’s southern Amazonas state, defence minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a statement.

“So far, four lifeless bodies have been rescued and the search continues for the fifth,” he added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro “has ordered an inquiry to determine the possible causes of the incident” and “provide all the necessary support to the relatives of the deceased,” the statement said.

Amazonas governor Miguel Rodriguez tweeted that his state “is in mourning. Sadness overwhelms us,” adding that “unfortunately, there were no survivors.”

He said the plane belonged to the Bolivarian Aviation Group 9, which assists indigenous communities in the state’s dense jungle region.