The remaining two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a Cessna 172 aircraft that tragically crashed in the mountains of La Plaine, Dominica, late last month, as reported by RCI Martinique.
Recovering all four bodies posed significant challenges due to the difficult terrain surrounding the crash site. Two bodies were retrieved in early February, while the other two remained trapped in the wreckage. On Wednesday, February 12, the French High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon successfully intervened to recover the final two bodies.
Following the recovery, the bodies were handed over to local authorities for medicolegal processing before being returned to their families, according to RCI Martinique.
Access to the crash site was perilous due to the aircraft’s positioning on the mountaintop. The Cessna had crashed at an altitude of 750 metres on a rocky ridge, with the wreckage precariously hanging vertically, supported only by vegetation and at risk of falling at any moment.
The tragic accident occurred on January 26 when the small plane departed from the Douglas-Charles Airport en route to Martinique. Communication was lost shortly after takeoff, and search and rescue teams located the wreckage the following day atop a mountain in La Plaine, on the island’s southeast coast.
In the wake of the crash, French authorities have launched a judicial investigation into involuntary manslaughter against Dominica.
