SANTIAGO – The six occupants of a light aircraft flying from Concepcion to help those left homeless by last weekend’s earthquake died on Monday when their plane crashed, officials at Chile’s DGAC aviation authority told Efe.

The plane took off from Santiago headed for Concepcion, 515 kilometers (320 miles) south of the capital, but it went down at Tome as it neared its destination, at around 4:00 p.m., for unknown causes, the sources said.

The Piper 31 took off from Santiago at 12:28 p.m. Monday and was piloted by Marcelo Ruiz, who was carrying five passengers, all from San Sebastian University.

One of them was Pablo Desbordes, ex-president of the youth wing of the rightest UDI party and brother of Mario Desbordes, named to serve in the administration of incoming President Sebastian Piñera.

Also aboard the aircraft was Luis Ernesto Videla, son-in-law of Belisario Velasco, ex-interior minister of the administration of incumbent head of state Michelle Bachelet and a top leader of the Christian Democratic party. EFE