THIEVES STEAL 66O LBS OF GOLD AND ESCAPE IN AIRPLANE
<Picture>
Rio de Janeiro, Nov 05, 1999 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Three heavily armed men stole 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of gold and escaped in the small plane used to transport the precious stones, Brazilian television stations reported Friday.
In the heist, which took place at Carajas Airport, in the Amazonian state of Para, the thieves subdued employees of "Vale do Rio Doce" mining company who were preparing to load the gold onto a small plane and transport the shipment to Sao Paulo.
Sources, quoted by "GloboNews" television station, said the robbers ordered the employees to load the gold onto the airplane and then hijacked the plane. The plane was located hours later on a landing strip on the outskirts of Sao Felix, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of Carajas.
The police said that, at the landing strip, the gold was loaded onto another airplane, but they could not say where it was flown.
"Vale do Rio Doce" officials estimated the stolen gold to be worth some 5.8 million reais (about 2.9 million dollars). EFE
ed/ss/mrm
Copyright (c) 1999. Agencia EFE S.A.
efe.es |
