PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP:

A plane crashed en route to a remote mining region in southern Suriname yesterday, killing at least 19 people, officials in the South American country said.

The twin-engine Antonov-AN28 was operated by a Surinamese carrier, Blue Wing airlines, said Kenneth Dors, Suriname's air traffic services director.

Dors said 19 or 20 people were on-board, including two crew members, but officials were still trying to determine the exact number. All died in the crash.

Another official, Brian Desouza, flight safety division manager for the aviation authority, said 19 were on-board and all were apparently Surinamese.

The plane took off from the capital, Paramaribo, and crashed in a wooded area, near the airstrip in the Benzdorp region, on the border with French Guiana, officials said.