Cuban leader visits plane crash survivors, relatives of victims

The Cuban government arranged for the relatives to stay at a hotel, as most came to Havana from Holguin, some 700 kilometers east of Havana.

Flags were flying at half mast on Saturday as part of two days of mourning following the worst air disaster in Cuba in three decades.

Witnesses told Xinhua the plane zigzagged as it was taking off, then crashed at 12:08 pm local time (16:08 GMT) just a kilometer away in an agricultural field.

Forensic experts continue to sift through the rubble.

Mexico's Civil Aviation Agency was expected to send a team of specialists to Cuba on Saturday to help with the investigation.

Cubana operated the aircraft under a wet lease arrangement, meaning it came with a flight and maintenance crew, usually including two pilots, three flight attendants and a technician.

Built in 1979, the plane passed its last inspection in November 2017, Mexican officials said.