BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- A last-minute decision to change seats turned out to be what saved a man and his son from perishing in the fiery crash of Flight 3142.
Carlos Bariboto ignored his seat assignment at the front of the jumbo Boeing 737 and chose a row in the rear of the plane with his 7-year-old son. The decision saved both of their lives."I always thought sitting in the back of the plane might save my life one day," said Bariboto, who escaped Tuesday's crash with only minor injuries. He was released from hospital Wednesday.
He is among at least 34 people who survived from the 100 people on board the ill-fated flight operated by Buenos-based LAPA airlines -- or Lineas Areas Privadas Argentinas.
Only a few feet above ground and struggling to remain airborne, the jetliner burst through an airport fence, careened across a busy highway, dragging cars and heavy machinery, before exploding into flames alongside a golf course.
At least 64 of the 100 people on board were killed, said government spokeswoman Olga Riugord. Investigators raked through the twisted wreckage on Wednesday, carrying away charred bodies in plastic bags. A crane hoisted sections of the crumpled fuselage, which came to rest just yards from two sand traps.
Doctors said at least 10 survivors had only minor injuries and were released from hospitals. Others were critically injured. Rescue workers said Wednesday the pilot and co-pilot were among the dead.
The crash near downtown Buenos Aires' Jorge Newberry airport was Argentina's worst aviation disaster.
Relatives of those unaccounted for crowded a downtown government office to press officials for any news on their loved ones. Exasperated, they openly complained of a lack of information and little cooperation from airline officials.
Carlos Roman Perez sobbed as he vented his frustrations about trying to determine the fate of his 24-year-old son, a university student who traveled to Buenos Aires to take a dental class.
"I've heard so many different things . . . that he's injured, disappeared," he said. "I'm tired of talking to the people at LAPA. All I want is an official list of passengers who got on the plane." Roman Perez said his only hope was that his son had gone to a friend's house after fleeing the wreckage.