QUITO – A plane carrying Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno was forced to make an emergency landing in Washington yesterday at the end of an official visit, said the country’s Communications Ministry.
Moreno and several members of his government travelling with him are “all fine”, said the statement.
“The president’s plane suffered a mechanical failure a few minutes after take-off from Washington DC, and had to make an emergency landing.
“Moreno and all occupants of the plane are fine, and will return to Ecuador in the coming hours.”
The statement provided no details on the nature of the mechanical defect or the circumstances surrounding the landing.
The Ecuadoran leader, whose four-year term ends on May 24, had just completed an official visit that included meetings with officials in the new Joe Biden administration.
He also met Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, which last September granted a US$6.5 billion (RM26.3 billion) credit to the South American nation. – AFP, January 31, 2021
